Well, the primary season has begun, so we can finally forget all those useless and ignorant speculations about what will happen next and report the actual results of the Iowa caucuses followed by useless and ignorant speculations about what will happen next.
Donald Trump eked out a victory in the Iowa contest by winning over several key voting blocs, including Iowans, other Iowans, and the rest of the Iowans. With Trump winning 98 of Iowa’s 99 counties and with the 99th county being populated only by a guy named Homer who thought the caucuses were on Thursday instead of Tuesday because both days begin with a &#8216;T&#8217; and it’s easy to get them confused, Trump’s opponents were left splitting the rest of the state, which consists of a little town named Doon, whose votes are suspect because they spell Doon D-o-o-n, so they obviously have no idea what they’re doon.
In the wake of Trump’s triumph, Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the race, Ron DeSantis said he would stay in the race but would change his name to Vivek Ramaswamy so it seemed like he was outperforming expectations, and Nikki Haley declared victory and ordered the invasion of North Korea.
The news media and other Democrats reacted to Trump’s victory with anger, saying they were appalled that mere members of the public had voted for Trump after the news media had specifically instructed them not to, because if you can’t trust the news media who can you trust besides literally anyone else.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1164-chris-pratt-in-hell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Andrew Klavan Show</a></h4>
On MSNBC, Rachel Maddow refused to show Trump’s victory speech and began babbling wildly that she would not expose her audience to misinformation — before she came to her senses and remembered she was on MSNBC. On CNN, Jake Tapper also cut away from Trump’s speech and instead played a highlight reel of his favorite moments from his old newscasts, like when he told Americans it was okay to let COVID dominate their lives because it had dominated their lives. Tapper hopes to spin the comment off into a new series called “Jake Tapper Through the Ages,” in which he tells Americans it’s okay to let Britain dominate their colonies because they have dominated their colonies and it’s okay to let the Nazis dominate Europe because they have dominated Europe. Fortunately for Tapper, he made these absurd remarks where no one would hear him, namely on CNN.
At the New York Times, a former newspaper, editorial board member Vastly Sententious wrote “Republican voters support the racism of Donald Trump because they are white people whose whiteness causes them to act in a racist white manner due to their white Caucasian whiteness. These are the sort of bigots who want to ban homosexual pornography from kindergarten libraries simply because putting homosexual pornography in kindergarten libraries is the sickest thing anyone’s ever heard of. They want Trump to close the border to keep out illegal Mexican farmworkers so there’ll be no one to pick our lettuce and we’ll be forced to eat things that have flavor even when you don’t smother them in creamy blue cheese dressing. In short, without Democrats in office to imprison political opponents, censor speech on social media, raid the homes of anti-abortion protestors, investigate parents as terrorists when they try to protect their children from Teacher Union pedophiles and spy on Catholics who attend the Latin Mass, Donald Trump is sure to transform the nation into a police state.” 
Ria Joseph, an obscure political columnist on a small town newspaper, pointed out that the Iowa results may not be that important because (A) there are only seventeen people in Iowa, (B) only eight of them showed up to caucus because the temperature was a hundred and four below zero and (C) most Republican candidates who have won Iowa in the last 45 years have not gone on to be the party’s nominee. Miss Joseph was immediately surrounded by other commentators and beaten into unconsciousness so they could return to their hysterically overblown reactions without being interrupted.
President and Venal Houseplant Joe Biden also reacted to Trump’s victory, saying, “It’s time for Americans to look in the mirror and ask themselves: Who am I? and then let me know who I am because I’ll be damned if I can remember.”
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* * *
Andrew Klavan is the host of “The Andrew Klavan Show” at The Daily Wire. He is the bestselling author of the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The third installment, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/House-Death-Cameron-Winter-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0BW1ZTVP9?ref_=ast_author_dp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The House of Love and Death</a>,” is now available. Follow him on X: @andrewklavan
This excerpt is taken from the opening satirical monologue of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1164-chris-pratt-in-hell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Andrew Klavan Show.</a>”
The views expressed in this satirical article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-VOTE-TRUMP

Trump Wins Iowa Caucuses. The Media Lose Their Mind.

2024 Primaries

Andrew Klavan

Iowa Caucuses

MSNBC

Readers Pass

Satire

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-national-committee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democratic National Committee (DNC)</a> is facing blowback over its reaction to former Arkansas Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/asa-hutchinson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asa Hutchinson</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/asa-hutchinson-drops-out-of-2024-race-after-dismal-showing-in-iowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspending</a> his 2024 presidential campaign after a poor showing in the Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/iowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iowa</a> caucuses.
&#8220;This news comes as a shock to those of us who could&#8217;ve sworn he had already dropped out,&#8221; DNC National Press Secretary Sarafina Chitika said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Washington Post&#8217;s Aaron Blake posted a screenshot of the one-line zinger on social media, which drew a wave of condemnation from an array of journalists and pundits, including those from the &#8220;Never Trump&#8221; crowd.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The DNC&#39;s (rather gratuitous?) statement on Asa Hutchinson <a href="https://t.co/zQjIMePrn9">pic.twitter.com/zQjIMePrn9</a>
&mdash; Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1747331329425911827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The DNC&#8217;s (rather gratuitous?) statement on Asa Hutchinson,&#8221; Blake <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1747331329425911827" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in his post. &#8220;Not a good look,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/Victorshi2020/status/1747360640262693364" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented</a> Victor Shi, a <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/west-wing-playbook/2023/08/17/meet-bidens-gen-z-hype-man-00111724" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gen Z advocate</a> of President Joe Biden with a large following on X.
&#8220;I assume you guys want the support in November of that slice of Republicans who admire Asa for being a decent and principled person, and for not bending the knee to [former President Donald] Trump? Or is Biden so far ahead that you don&#8217;t need every potential crossover vote?&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1747353869892432327" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> &#8220;Never Trump&#8221; leader and The Bulwark editor-at-large Bill Kristol.
&#8220;This is so wrong-headed strategically and in terms of basic decency,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/AWeissmann_/status/1747359101489647990" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor who assisted Robert Mueller&#8217;s special counsel investigation into Trump. Journalist John Hardwood <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnJHarwood/status/1747367974854418931" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;juvenile, idiotic, counter-productive statement,&#8221; adding, &#8220;the kind of thing you&#8217;d expect from Trump&#8217;s team, not Biden&#8217;s.&#8221;
&#8220;Stupid. The DNC should have praised Asa for his forthright condemnation of Trump and the insurrection, and noted that his integrity meant he had no chance of winning over Republican primary voters,&#8221; <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-cnn-town-hall-appearance-turn-disaster/story?id=99201764" target="_blank" rel="noopener">political scholar</a> Norman Ornstein <a href="https://twitter.com/NormOrnstein/status/1747332234007220254" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
&#8220;These are just stupid and dumb,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamKinzinger/status/1747332650119922081" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). Hey [DNC], this is a shitty thing to say. [Hutchinson] should be thanked by you all for running AGAINST Trump. I mean…you do want all of us NeverTrumpers to vote for Biden, don’t you? Come on DNC, be better than this,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/WalshFreedom/status/1747360120021909658" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL).
&#8220;These people are losing to Trump, [Florida Governor Ron] DeSantis, and [former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Ambassador Nikki] Haley in every swing state and dedicated energy to this,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY/status/1747356013747912823" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> CNN contributor Scott Jennings.
More comments, from users of X accounts both large and small, piled on as Blake&#8217;s post garnered nearly 500,000 views in three hours.
Earlier in the day, Hutchinson had followed tech entrepreneur <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vivek-ramaswamy-drops-out-endorses-trump?0=utm_source=ground.news&amp;1=utm_medium=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vivek Ramaswamy in dropping out</a> of the GOP presidential nomination contest after failing to break into the top three in Iowa&#8217;s caucuses while struggling to reach and break past <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/republican-primary/2024/national" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1% support</a> in most national polls.
“I congratulate Donald J. Trump for his win last night in Iowa and to the other candidates who competed and garnered delegate support,” Hutchinson <a href="https://twitter.com/brianneDMR/status/1747283577924927559">said</a> in a statement. “Today, I am suspending my campaign for President and driving back to Arkansas. My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front runner did not sell in Iowa.”

Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas

DNC Gets Dragged Over Zinger On GOP Presidential Candidate Dropping Out

2024 Election

Asa Hutchinson

Democratic National Committee

Politics

U.S.

&#8220;The View&#8221; host Sara Haines may be from Iowa, but that did not stop her from taking a few potshots at the state in an effort to downplay former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joy-reid-blames-white-christians-for-trump-domination-in-iowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump&#8217;s</a> Monday night caucus victory.
Haines joined her co-hosts on Tuesday in a recap of the Iowa caucuses — which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-jake-tapper-cuts-into-trump-victory-speech-to-call-him-anti-immigrant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump won handily</a> with 51%, followed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) with 21% and former Governor Nikki Haley (R-SC) with 19% — and she spent most of her time explaining why, in the grand scheme of things, the Iowa results did not really matter.
WATCH: 
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Claiming she&#39;s a &quot;proud Iowan,&quot; Sara Haines slams her former home state, calling it &quot;disappointing&quot; to see Iowans support Trump. She also decries Iowa being the first in the nation to caucus: &quot;We didn&#39;t &#39;earn it.&#39; We just get it historically.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/WBNvpoBxO0">pic.twitter.com/WBNvpoBxO0</a>
&mdash; Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1747290597101068781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Haines began by saying that it was &#8220;disappointing&#8221; to see her home state vote so overwhelmingly for Trump — but then she pivoted to, as she said, &#8220;add some color&#8221; to the scenario.
&#8220;It&#8217;s disappointing to see that come out of Iowa, but let me add a little perspective and context that&#8217;s very important,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Only 5% of the population of the state caucuses. So when you see &#8216;Iowa swept&#8217; or &#8216;Trump swept Iowa,&#8217; no, he did not. He swept 5% of the population.&#8221;
&#8220;Only 13% of registered Republicans in the state of Iowa — 13% of the party — showed up for that. And only three times in the past six — excuse me, eight Republican caucuses have they even predicted the candidate,&#8221; Haines continued. &#8220;So although I am a proud Iowan, and we love our caucus time because it makes you feel seen &#8230; we love the caucuses. We didn&#8217;t earn it, we just get it historically — it&#8217;s important to know those numbers when you&#8217;re reading headlines.&#8221;
Co-host Sunny Hostin pushed back later in the discussion, saying that it was fine to put things in &#8220;context&#8221; but that she believed the results were still a fair picture of where the state was as a whole.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Staunchly racist Sunny Hostin says she&#39;s &quot;disgusted&quot; with Iowa for supporting Trump. Despite Obama carrying the state in 2008/2012, she hints that all Iowans were racist and openly argues that we don&#39;t actually need to hold elections there because we know they vote for racists. <a href="https://t.co/6UHB29QwOd">pic.twitter.com/6UHB29QwOd</a>
&mdash; Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1747296123511882060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Hostin pointed out the fact that Trump had won 98 of 99 counties — and had lost the last one by a single vote — and argued that it was difficult to see how that was &#8220;not representative&#8221; of the way the state would vote as a whole.
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Haines pushed back a bit, saying that 5% was hardly a good representation of anything. But Hostin was not buying it.
&#8220;I think it is a little bit disingenuous to say that 5% is not reflective of the rest of Iowa,&#8221; she said over Haines&#8217; protests, and she went on to claim that the results were entirely predictable. &#8220;We could have figured that out without the caucus.&#8221;

SARA HAINES

‘The View’ Host Dunks On Her Own Home State In Scramble To Discredit Trump’s Iowa Win

'The View' Host Dunks On Her Own Home State In Scramble To Discredit Trump's Iowa Win

Donald Trump

Iowa

Media

Nikki Haley

Ron DeSantis

Sunny Hostin

The View

MSNBC host Joy Reid summarily declared that &#8220;white Christians&#8221; were to blame after multiple media outlets projected a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-projected-to-win-iowa-caucuses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decisive victory</a> for former President Donald Trump in Monday evening&#8217;s Iowa caucuses.
Reid pointed out the fact that 61% of Iowans are white Christians — compared to 41% of all Americans — and then claimed that they primarily supported Trump because they believed God had given the United States to them and Trump would help them to get it back.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Joy Reid of MSNBC is complaining because there are too many white Christians in Iowa <a href="https://t.co/yLqFdZeZzU">pic.twitter.com/yLqFdZeZzU</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1747102011013697838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Reid explained that before the caucuses, she had sought the advice of one Robert &#8220;Robbie&#8221; Jones — who is the president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and author of &#8220;The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy.&#8221;
&#8220;&#8216;[White Christians] see themselves as the rightful inheritors of this country, and Trump has promised to give it back to them,'&#8221; Reid quoted Jones as saying.
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&#8220;All the things that we think about, about electability, about what are people gaming out, but none of that matters when you believe that God has given you this country, that it is yours, and that everyone who is not a white, conservative Christian is a fraudulent American, is a less real American,&#8221; Reid extrapolated on Jones&#8217; comments. &#8220;Then you don’t care about electability. You care about what God has given you.&#8221;
The remainder of <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/politics/joy-reid-blames-nikki-haleys-third-place-iowa-finish-on-racism-shes-still-a-brown-lady-in-a-deeply-anti-immigrant-party/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reid&#8217;s analysis</a> continued in that same vein — she claimed that racism in the Republican Party was the reason for former Governor Nikki Haley&#8217;s (R-SC) third-place finish behind Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
&#8220;It’s the elephant in the room. She’s still a brown lady that’s got to try to win in a party that is deeply anti-immigrant, and which accepts the notion you can say immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country,&#8221; Reid said. &#8220;She’s getting birthered by Donald Trump, and I don’t care how much the donor class likes her — which will ramp up a lot the better she does in New Hampshire — it’s still a challenge.&#8221;

Los Angeles Red Carpet Premiere Event For Hulu’s “The 1619 Project” – Arrivals

Joy Reid Blames ‘White Christians’ For Trump Domination In Iowa

Joy Reid Blames 'White Christians' For Trump Domination In Iowa

Christians

Joy Reid

Racism

Former Arkansas Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/asa-hutchinson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asa Hutchinson</a> said on Tuesday that he was dropping out of the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. 
Hutchinson’s announcement came after a poor performance on Monday at the Iowa caucuses, where he picked up less than half a percent of the vote. Former President Donald Trump dominated, winning 51% of the votes and all but one of Iowa’s 99 counties. 
“I congratulate Donald J. Trump for his win last night in Iowa and to the other candidates who competed and garnered delegate support,” Hutchinson <a href="https://twitter.com/brianneDMR/status/1747283577924927559" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Today, I am suspending my campaign for President and driving back to Arkansas. My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front runner did not sell in Iowa.”
Hutchinson became the second candidate to drop out after the caucus, following tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. His campaign failed to garner much support, and he did not qualify for any debates after the first. He was far behind the other trailing Republican candidates, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (21.2%), former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (19.1%), and Ramaswamy (7.7%).  
“I stand by the campaign I ran. I answered every question, sounded the warning to the GOP about the risks in 2024 and presented hope for our country’s future,” Hutchinson said. 
The former governor was a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-gop-governor-announces-presidential-bid-calls-on-trump-to-drop-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frequent critic</a> of Trump and launched his campaign by calling on Trump to drop out. Before announcing his run last year, Hutchinson promised “to do everything” to ensure that Trump did not get the Republican nomination.
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“I mean, first of all, the office is more important than any individual person,” Hutchinson said in April during his announcement. “And so for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that’s too much of a sideshow and distraction and he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process and there is a presumption of innocence.”
Hutchinson also faced criticism on the campaign trail over his past veto of a bill banning transgender procedures for minors during his time as governor. He said he opposed the bill because of parental rights and limited government. 
&nbsp;

Republican Presidential Candidates Attend The 3rd Annual MMM Tailgate Celebration In Iowa City

Asa Hutchinson Drops Out Of 2024 Race After Dismal Showing In Iowa

Elections

Vivek Ramaswamy

Last night we witnessed something pretty weird and unique at the Iowa caucuses. For the first time in American political history a presidential candidate from the out-of-power party won the caucus without ever participating in the debates or even actively campaigning in the state. Pro-Trump people will hail it as a triumph, and the never-Trumpers as an abomination. But when it comes to Donald Trump and his long strange trip into, and then out of, and then perhaps back into the White House, what do the results say about the state of our country?
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Trump’s candidacy so far is that the more his enemies (in both parties) try to take him down, the more popular he becomes. Indeed, no modern president has had so many forces arrayed against him. From rogue DA’s who openly ran for office with promises to prosecute Trump, to a hostile Congress and their sham impeachments, to the courts in progressive states kicking him off their ballots, to the media’s one-sided reportage, to Big Tech’s outright censorship, all the way to opposition from the wealthy donor class, Trump has had to battle wave upon wave of attacks and legal charges, frivolous and otherwise, all with one goal in mind — to prevent him from sitting behind the Resolute Desk ever again. And it appears they will continue to do whatever it takes to knock him out of the running. 
Those who oppose him are so entrenched in their manic disdain for this one man that, as Sam Harris has shown, they will rationalize ripping to shreds the credibility of our most important institutions in their jihad against the Teflon Donald. They would, to borrow an old phrase, “destroy the village to save it.” 
In fact, so aggressive has their prosecutorial zeal towards this one man been that attempts to decapitate the Trump candidacy are being called “Lawfare.” And my hunch is that a lot of Americans don’t like it. I’m not even a Trump man (I prefer DeSantis myself having seen what he’s done for Florida) and yet I have found myself repeatedly in print defending the besieged Donald from what I perceive as far greater threats to the country and “our sacred democracy” than who becomes the head at the end of one neck of the federal hydra. Americans are not always the quickest to realize what are bad policies and dangerous ideas. Nevertheless, we do catch on if they persist. And the overwhelming vote for Trump last night could very well be read as a repudiation of the machinations of political insiders and powerful interests weaponizing the law to take this man out in a way that would have made Lavrentiy Beria nod with satisfaction.
I wonder, is it just the instinctual revulsion to seeing the courtroom being wielded like a club by those who see themselves not just above the law but outside it that is at the heart of Trump’s win? Perhaps. But then again, for many others, it could be the complete breakdown of trust in every major institution in the country. Once important pillars of the Republic — a free and impartial press, enlightened education, equal and open exchange of ideas, corporate responsibility, a thriving middle class, a political leadership that caters to the needs and hears the concerns of its constituents, wise foreign policy, the legitimacy of the electoral process, and now even the law itself— have been, in the eyes of millions, hopelessly corrupted by people with the ruthless drive to wield the power these combined institutions can bring to bear on the average citizen. This feeling has only been solidified by the clear leveling of all the barrels of government power aimed at this one man just to ruin him.
And given his willingness to withstand (perhaps even relish) the slings and arrows of his many enemies inside and outside the D.C. Beltway, Trump has taken on the moniker of martyr. His supporters see in him their own William Wallace or Thomas Becket. (At least the film versions). When Trump says “It’s not me they’re after, but you,” this has real meaning for many who feel very much like they no longer have any say in their nation’s direction. One must think that more than a few of the 51% of those who braved the cold to cast ballots for Trump see him as their last hope to save the Republic from those detached insiders leading the country to destruction while pulling the strings of a mentally enfeebled president in name only.
It has often been said that Trump did not cause the divisions in our country so much as arise out of them — his opponents might say exploited them. However one wishes to view Trump’s victory in Iowa, it should be made clear that in this one state at least, voters took the measure of the man and weighed him against the charges hanging over his head and found the latter wanting. So many people I know on the Left are shaking their heads. “How is it that a man indicted on 91 felony charges could get any votes for dog catcher let alone the highest office in the land?” they ask in dismay. The answer is simple. The caucus participants considered who brought the charges and why and, as telling, who’s been spared prosecution due to party affiliation, despite their own demonstrable crimes. Iowans saw through the charade. As the great litigator Vincent LaGuardia Gambini once told a jury, they simply concluded that “everything dat guy just said is bulls***.”
Trump’s victory is both encouraging and concerning. It is encouraging in that it should tell those willing to use the law like a tinhorn generalissimo to silence opposition that it will not happen on Iowans’ watch at least. But the fact that such a message even needed to be sent shows in what a perilous position we find ourselves. More so than I think people understand. As mentioned above, if the citizenry no longer trusts the institutions, then a government built around democratic principles will collapse. It has to. If one doesn’t believe the law is equally applied, that it is nothing more than one of many political arrows in the quiver to let fly whenever an upstart gets too close to tipping the establishment apple cart, then why obey the law at all?
Thus we see the true dangers of what is often called Trump Derangement Syndrome. When people are either so self-righteous, or, more likely, so cynical that they are willing to scrap the institutions and processes that keep us from falling into the abyss of totalitarianism to destroy one man, they become the very ‘fascists’ they are too busy accusing others of supporting to see it in themselves. Or, worse, they don’t care as power is the aim, not a representative republic or, as the preamble to the Constitution reminds us, to “promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty”.
Representative, democratically structured governments are a relative newcomer to the political universe. At our founding, we were a lone, bright star in a firmament of monarchs, tsars, emperors, and despots. Our revolution and the republic it ushered in was the exception, not the rule, to governance throughout all recorded history. A mere 248 years against over some 5,400. And as we have learned through many hard and bloody lessons in failed nation-building disasters since the great democracies put down fascism and then held back communism, it may not even be the natural state of humankind. The authors of the Constitution knew a dark truth: ambitious men left unchecked will chase power, and all the brutality and corruption that goes with it. That we have thrived in our brief moment in the sun is a testament not to us as a people, for we are no different than any others when it comes to human nature, but rather the strength and legitimacy of the institutions our Framers bestowed upon us. Without them we are just another oligarchy in the making.
Love him, hate him, or, if you’re like me, take the good with the bad and judge him in a line-item fashion, there is no denying that Trump’s victory in Iowa was a pivotal event in American politics. Whether it is for the good or the bad, only time will tell.
Benjamin Franklin’s famous warning to a woman who inquired after the Constitutional Convention ended as to what form of government they’d created for the new country rings in my ears louder today than it has in a long time. “We have given you a Republic — If you can keep it.” 
Last night Iowans tried to keep it. For a little while longer anyway.
* * *
Brad Schaeffer is a commodities trader, author, columnist, and musician whose eclectic body of writing can be found in the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, New York Daily News, Daily Wire, National Review, The Hill, The Federalist, Zerohedge, and others. His latest book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Life-Pits-Rough-Tumble-Exchange/dp/B0CKPNCMQW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=FBF37276B680&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vcOViovcNlulLDwCgSAL69F_A30PW0Mtp0XkDLFpRDI.e73HGuCpMYaPK8os1N9Y87Bb_hElkxrUd2FszkudrUk&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=life+in+the+pits+Schaeffer+book&amp;qid=1705421538&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=life+in+the+pits+schaeffer+book%2Cstripbooks%2C100&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LIFE IN THE PITS: My Time As A Trader On The Rough-And-Tumble Exchange Floors</a> is available on Amazon and soon Audible. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Trump Campaign Holds Caucus Night Watch Party

Why Iowa Voters Rejected ‘Lawfare’ Against Donald Trump

Why Iowa Voters Rejected 'Lawfare' Against Donald Trump

Opinion

Former President Donald Trump secured a landslide victory in the Iowa Republican caucuses on Monday night, capturing every single county, save one.
Exit polling from the big win &#8212; which was the <a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2024/01/16/iowa-caucus-who-won-donald-trump-ron-desantis-second-nikki-haley-third-republican-nomination/72083638007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strongest performance</a> in the caucuses&#8217; near 50-year history &#8212; shows the former president&#8217;s dominance on a more granular level. In nearly every demographic or issue, Trump polled as the far and away favorite, usually by double-digits.
Trump won caucusgoers without a college degree by double-digits, at 62%; and had similar results with those who consider themselves very conservative (58%) and rural voters (58%), <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/fox-news-voter-analysis-trump-dominates-iowa-caucuses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox News.
The former president also decisively took white evangelical caucusgoers with 55%, which more than doubled the next two closest GOP candidates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (24%) and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (13%).
When it comes to issues at the top of caucusgoers&#8217; minds, Trump again was in control. The top issue was polled to be immigration, and Trump won those most concerned about it by 36 points. He also was the favorite for those worried about the economy by 33 points. And for those who valued a strong leader with sufficient mental capabilities, Trump won by 28 points.
Even when it came to legal challenges, which Trump is battling in numerous states, caucusgoers were largely unfazed by the indictments and overwhelmingly viewed them as political attacks against Trump. Only 20% said Trump was legitimately being investigated for potential wrongdoing, while 80% chalked it up to partisan attacks, the Fox polling revealed.
&#8220;Roughly 2 in 10 (15%) felt he did something illegal regarding the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in his alleged attempt to interfere with the vote count in the 2020 election (19%) or the classified documents found in his Florida home (21%),&#8221; the report noted.
Moreover, about six in ten caucusgoers felt President Joe Biden was not elected legitimately and Trump won in 2020.
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Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro on Monday night sounded off on Trump&#8217;s resounding victory, calling the former president the Republican Party&#8217;s &#8220;de facto nominee,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-shapiro-reveals-his-takeaway-from-iowa-caucuses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
“Donald Trump is so far out ahead that the rest of the field can’t even see him,” Shapiro stated. “This is Secretariat against the rest of the field in the 1973 Belmont Stakes.”
“It means that, de facto, Trump is the nominee,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;If no one can challenge him in Iowa, if nobody really has a chance of challenging him based on the momentum going into New Hampshire, if nobody has a challenge for him in South Carolina, then all you can say at this point is that he is preparing for the general election against Joe Biden.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-shapiro-reveals-his-takeaway-from-iowa-caucuses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben Shapiro Reveals His Takeaway From Iowa Caucuses</a>

Iowa Exit Polling Shows Scope Of Trump’s Domination With Republican Voters

Republican Primary

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley spun a third place finish in the Iowa caucuses on Monday night as a victory, declaring that despite failing to live up to polling and media expectations, she had narrowed the race to a one-on-one race against former President Donald Trump.
The political operation backing Haley spent more money in Iowa, $37 million, than any other candidate, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/15/politics/advertising-spending-iowa-republicans/index.html">CNN</a>. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spent $35 million in the state and Trump spent $18.3 million.
Despite being repeatedly labeled for weeks as the &#8220;surging&#8221; candidate in the race and the final The Des Moines Register poll showing that she was poised to beat DeSantis in the state by four points, Haley fell short when it came time to caucus, landing a couple of points behind DeSantis.
&#8220;Tonight I will be back in the great state of New Hampshire,&#8221; Haley said. &#8220;And the question before Americans is now very clear: Do you want more of the same, or do you want a new generation?&#8221;
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She declared that what her campaign was doing in New Hampshire, where she is polling in second, and in her home state of South Carolina, where the dynamics and demographics of the race shift back in favor of Trump and DeSantis, allowed her to &#8220;safely say tonight Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race.&#8221;
&#8220;Trump and Biden are both about 80 years old,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Trump and Biden put our country trillions of dollars deeper in debt, and our kids will never forgive them. Both lack a vision for our country&#8217;s future because both are consumed by the past — by investigations, by vendettas, by grievances. Americans deserve better.&#8221;

Haley Campaign Holds Caucus Night Watch Party

Nikki Haley, After Falling To 3rd In Iowa: It’s A ‘Two-Person Race’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared that he had a path forward on Monday after coming in second place in the Iowa caucuses.
The Republican presidential candidate noted that he was the target of more political attack ads than any other candidate in the race by a <a href="https://twitter.com/rpyers/status/1746701563102703660" target="_blank" rel="noopener">significant</a> margin.
&#8220;They threw everything but the kitchen sink at us,&#8221; DeSantis told supporters in West Des Moines. &#8220;They spent almost $50 million attacking us. No one&#8217;s faced that much all the way just through Iowa. The media was against us. They were writing our obituary months ago.&#8221;
The governor noted that the mainstream media sent out alerts before voting had even started in a lot of areas declaring that Trump had won the caucus.
&#8220;They were just so excited about the fact that they were predicting that we wouldn&#8217;t be able to get our ticket punched here out of Iowa,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But I can tell you, because of your support, in spite of all of that they threw at us, everyone against us, we&#8217;ve got our ticket punched out of Iowa.&#8221;
DeSantis said that he would do everything he could to protect &#8220;the sacred fire of liberty&#8221; that America&#8217;s Founding Fathers ignited.
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In thanking his supporters for their efforts, DeSantis said: &#8220;You helped us get a ticket punched out of the Hawkeye State. We have a lot of work to do, but I can tell you this as the next president of the United States: I am going to get the job done for this country.&#8221;
&#8220;I am not going to make any excuses,&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;And I guarantee you this: I will not let you down. Thank you. God bless you.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Ron DeSantis Iowa Caucus Night Speech" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/85hbT5KWw08?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Ron DeSantis Holds His Caucus Night Event In Iowa

DeSantis After Second Place Finish In Iowa: ‘They Threw Everything But The Kitchen Sink At Us’

The chairman of the Iowa Republican Party slammed the media on Monday night after they rushed to declare former President Donald Trump the winner of the 2024 Iowa caucuses before many people even had the chance to vote.
Multiple news organizations — including the Associated Press, Fox News, CNN, The New York Times, and more — called the race for Trump just minutes after doors closed at caucus locations throughout the state.
&#8220;Media outlets calling the results of the 2024 First-in-the-Nation Caucus less than half an hour after precinct caucuses had been called to order &#8211; before the overwhelming majority of Iowans had even cast their ballot — was highly disappointing and concerning,&#8221; said Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann.
&#8220;One of the key differences between the Iowa Caucus and a standard primary election is that lowans have the chance to listen to presidential candidates or their surrogates and deliberate to make an informed decision,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;There was no need to rush one of the most transparent, grassroots democratic processes in the country.&#8221;
The Des Moines Register spoke with supporters of the other Republican candidates who said that they got notifications on their phones stating that Trump had won before they even had the chance to vote or finish listening to the speeches.
“Absolutely outrageous that the media would participate in election interference by calling the race before tens of thousands of Iowans even had a chance to vote,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/news-media-slammed-for-calling-iowa-caucuses-before-voting-began-in-many-areas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> DeSantis campaign spokesperson Andrew Romeo. “The media is in the tank for Trump and this is the most egregious example yet.”
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National Review Senior Writer Dan McLaughlin noted that Iowa was not a winner-take-all state and so “the margins actually affect delegate allocations.”
“It’s indefensible to declare a winner in that situation before all votes are cast,” he said.
Semafor political reporter David Weigel wrote: “The very very early results show Trump winning big, but the early network call is a little questionable. People are still at caucus sites, and they have phones — how many people see the call and bail?”
Political reporter Ben Jacobs wrote: “We haven’t even begun speeches at the caucus that I am attending and they have already called the state for Donald Trump.”
Washington Post reporter Michael Scherer noted: “AP has a policy not to call ‘the winner of a race before all the polls in a jurisdiction are scheduled to close.’ Tonight AP/CNN/Etc. called the race after the caucus doors closed, but BEFORE all votes were cast. People could see on their phones that Trump won before voting.”
Breitbart News columnist John Nolte wrote: “Why are the media calling an election while people are still voting?”
Executive producer Aaron McIntire responded to the news by posting on X: “We haven’t even voted yet. I sent this tweet while I was listening to people give their speeches. Unreal.”
Political consultant Jason Johnson wrote on X: “Fox called the race while the caucus I was monitoring was still listening to speakers. Suddenly, everyone started looking at their phones…reading the ‘breaking news.’ Remarkable.”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution political columnist Patricia Murphy wrote: “I’m sorry- this is crazy to call it at 7:40. Nobody in Boone has even voted yet. Why would they stay if they saw this?”

Nikki Haley Addresses Iowa GOP Lincoln Dinner

Iowa GOP Chairman Slams Media For Declaring Winner Before Voting Occured: ‘Highly Disappointing And Concerning’

Former President Donald Trump thanked various figures in his orbit on Monday night after winning the Iowa caucuses after securing just slightly over half the votes in the contest.
Trump thanked various politicians who endorsed him, his children, and his wife while speaking to supporters in Des Moines.
&#8220;I want to congratulate Ron and Nikki for having a good time together,&#8221; Trump laughed. &#8220;We&#8217;re all having a good time together,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And I think they both actually did very well. I really do. I think they both did very well.&#8221;
Trump praised businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who suspended his campaign on Monday night and endorsed Trump.
&#8220;I also want to congratulate Vivek, because he did a hell of a job, he came from zero and he&#8217;s got a big percent, probably almost eight percent, and that is an amazing job,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Very smart people, very capable people.&#8221;
Trump later said that he thinks it&#8217;s time for everyone to come together and unite following the caucuses.
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&#8220;I really think this is time now for everybody in our country to come together,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We want to come together — whether it’s Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative. It would be so nice if we could come together and straighten out the world and straighten out the problems and straighten out all of the death and destruction that we’re witnessing.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Former President Trump delivers a victory speech at Iowa caucuses" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_oWIWMYz7lA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

US-POLITICS-VOTE-TRUMP

Trump Delivers Speech After Win In Iowa Caucuses

Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro briefly discussed his main takeaway from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-projected-to-win-iowa-caucuses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iowa caucuses</a> on Monday night, saying the results show that former President Donald Trump is &#8220;the de facto nominee.&#8221;
Trump won the Iowa caucuses, sitting at 51% with around 90% of the vote counted Monday night, according to <a href="https://decisiondeskhq.com/iowa-republican-presidential-caucus-results/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Decision Desk HQ</a>. DeSantis was sitting in second with 21.3%, and Haley was in third with 19%. Tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy was in fourth at 7.7%. The race was called with an unusually low percentage of the vote counted, as multiple outlets — including Fox News, CNN, NBC News, and the Associated Press — all called the race for Trump with just 1% of the vote counted.
&#8220;Here is the very quick story: Donald Trump wins walking away,&#8221; Shapiro said. &#8220;All of the pollsters called this thing pretty much as soon as the polls opened and that raises questions itself about procedure, about whether that affects the final vote tally, but bottom line is that they&#8217;re doing that based on the entrance polling data. Donald Trump is way out ahead.&#8221;
&#8220;Donald Trump is so far out ahead that the rest of the field can&#8217;t even see him,&#8221; Shapiro added. &#8220;This is Secretariat against the rest of the field in the 1973 Belmont Stakes.&#8221;
The podcast host then delved into what the first-in-the-nation caucuses mean going forward for the rest of the primary.
&#8220;It means that, de facto, Trump is the nominee. If no one can challenge him in Iowa, if nobody really has a chance of challenging him based on the momentum going into New Hampshire, if nobody has a challenge for him in South Carolina, then all you can say at this point is that he is preparing for the general election against Joe Biden,&#8221; said Shapiro.
Shapiro added that the political landscape is already lined up for a rematch between Trump and Biden in 2024.
&#8220;Maybe it was always going to be this way,&#8221; he said. &#8220;After all, [Trump] has been treated by the Republican electorate as the incumbent president. And he&#8217;s been treated that way because that&#8217;s how they think of him. Many Republicans think, by the way, that he won the last election, whether rightly or wrongly. So why wouldn&#8217;t they treat him that way?&#8221;
&#8220;There might&#8217;ve been a brief moment in time where there were minds that were open to be changed enough to possibly challenge Trump, but that time passed a while ago,&#8221; Shapiro added. &#8220;It&#8217;s pretty obvious at this point that Donald Trump is going to be your Republican nominee in 2024.&#8221;
The Daily Wire editor emeritus said he will give a more in-depth analysis of the Iowa Caucuses on &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-ben-shapiro-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Ben Shapiro Show</a>&#8221; Tuesday morning.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Here is my reaction to tonight’s results. For a full in depth analysis, make sure to tune into tomorrow’s show. <a href="https://t.co/VIINbh6RjD">pic.twitter.com/VIINbh6RjD</a>
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1747093152857506178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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Ben Shapiro Reveals His Takeaway From Iowa Caucuses

Ben Shapiro

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