Trump makes first trip to Iowa since declaring re-election bid

March 14, 2023

Former President Donald Trump visited Iowa on Monday for the first time since declaring his intention to run for another term as president in November for a speech billed as being about education policy, which actually covered a lot of different topics.

In addition to education, Trump also rehashed his election fraud narrative, bragged about saving the ethanol industry, and bashed his biggest rival Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who hasn't actually entered the race yet.

He tried to link DeSantis to former House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), a failed presidential candidate in 2012.

But when he spoke about schools, he sounded very much like DeSantis (R), who has made a name for himself decrying "woke" policies in schools.

He vowed to “bring parental rights back into our school system,” and said that the educational system was full of “people that hate our country.”

He said he would “end ‘woke'” – a word that has become linked to DeSantis and his political brand. "What they’re teaching in schools today is insane,” he added.