REUTERS
- Former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida appeared at the game.
- Trump received a mix of applause and audible boos from the crowd of 61,000 football fans.
- Outside the stadium, the frontrunner in the Republican primary was greeted with chants of "USA."
Donald Trump was met with a loud mix of applause and boos when he arrived in Ames, Iowa, to attend a football game, The New York Times reports.
The former US president, who is embroiled in major legal battles and indictments, was attending the 2023 Cy-Hawk football game.
Trump visited Iowa State University, where he flipped burgers, threw a football with fraternity members, and autographed photos and footballs, The Associated Press reported. "I guess the youth likes Trump," he told a conservative media outlet. Cheers marked his visit to the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity house from hundreds of students.
His arrival at the Jack Trice Stadium also drew a large crowd, with some supporters chanting "USA."
While Trump's reception in Iowa sought to demonstrate how steadfast the Republican candidate's popularity is, he also received insults and boos throughout the day.
Some spectators made profane gestures at Trump when he arrived at the stadium, and was greeted with a mixed reception of cheering and booing by the 61,000-capacity crowd. A plane flew over the stadium pulling a banner reading "Where's Melania?". The former first lady has stayed out of the spotlight during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump in 2020 won Iowa with an eight-percentage-point margin, but the state's two major college towns — Ames, where the game took place, and Iowa City, home of the rival Iowa Hawkeyes — lean Democrat, per The New York Times.
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Iowa is a key early primary state, and the football game is considered as a crucial campaign stop.
Trump also attended the college rivalry game in 2015 and was not the only presidential hopeful in attendance this year, The Hill reports. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was also spotted at the game and appeared at tailgates with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
Other candidates and politicians in the crowd included entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Trump received the most attention among political attendees.
DeSantis traveled between tailgates flanked by fans cheering and waving campaign signs from the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC, AP reports. The candidate, currently in second place behind Trump in national polls, is focusing his campaign efforts on Iowa. He says he's already visited over 99 of the state's counties.
Via Reuters: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Trump, who hopes to maintain his frontrunner status in the Hawkeye State, is visiting the state for the second time in recent weeks.
Trump is leading the Republican primary polls by a significant margin. According to FiveThirtyEight, the former president is, on average, 40 points ahead of runner-up DeSantis.
Trump is running to reclaim the White House while facing 90 felony counts and four indictments. There is no comparable case in US political history.