Former President Donald Trump recently overshadowed Ron DeSantis with planes at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, flying over the event. He prompted the throngs of GOP voters to chant “we want Trump!” while the Florida governor was flipping burgers and trying to woo support via Media Ite.
DeSantis is currently trailing Trump in The Hawkeye State by double digits, and the rest of the field is even further behind. But all the GOP candidates look to improve their standing with appearances at the fair.
Vivek Ramaswamy put on a rap show, and Arizona’s Kari Lake talked some bull with a New York Times reporter, for example, among the various bids for attention. Former Trump VP Mike Pence even brought up The Face Fly.
DeSantis was flipping burgers and making his own appeal to Iowa Republicans but the literal shadow of Trump passed over as the ex-president’s private jet did a fly-by of the fairgrounds.
The Trump supporters cheered “we want Trump!” and “we love Trump!” to drown out the governor. Something that the MAGA voters had been doing to DeSantis throughout in order to try and tank the top challenger to Trump’s grip on the party.
It wasn’t the only fly-over disrupting the DeSantis campaign’s efforts. As the 2024 challenger was set to speak at the fair with Governor Kim Reynolds, another plane flew overhead pulling a sign that read, “Be likeable, Ron!”
The press and the Trump campaign have made a point of characterizing DeSantis’s interactions as unlikeable in the effort to derail him before he becomes a serious threat to Trump.
AND THE CROWD GOES WILD: President Trump isn’t even on the ground in Iowa before overshadowing Ron DeSantis at the Iowa State Fair! pic.twitter.com/1bLET2C40y
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) August 12, 2023
Gov. Ron DeSantis walks through a crowd chanting “We love Trump” and “We want Trump” pic.twitter.com/IBjOWcEH1i
— Lalee Ibssa (@LaleeIbssa) August 12, 2023
Trump supporters chant “we love Trump” as DeSantis grills burgers on the other side of the building pic.twitter.com/xRRwV444rt
— Stephanie Murray (@stephanie_murr) August 12, 2023
Trump already overshadowing DeSantis at the Iowa state fair, as the crowd turns away from DeSantis event to watch Trump’s plane encircle overhead pic.twitter.com/nsMo3WpKZO
— Joyce Koh (@JoyceKohTV) August 12, 2023
