The race for second place in the Republican primary

According to opinion polls, former President Trump is the most likely candidate to run in the US presidential elections. His appearance in Iowa was disrupted by climate activists.

A winter storm affected the election campaign over the weekend and several campaign demonstrations were cancelled. The weather service also warned of “life-threatening” cold temperatures of 28 degrees below zero on Monday. This may affect voter turnout. Observers assume that a decline in participation will be particularly harmful to Trump's favorite. “Dress warmly tomorrow,” Trump told supporters during a campaign appearance in Indianola on Sunday. “Brave the weather and go abroad to save America.”

Trump has also faced headwinds from climate activists in the recent surge. They disrupted his campaign rally in Indianola on Sunday. The demonstrators chanted, “Trump, climate criminal,” and a young woman raised a banner bearing the same words. Trump supporters in the hall responded with loud shouts of “USA, USA,” as security guards removed the activists. While driving climate activists to Indianola, Trump told one of the activists that she was “young and immature.” “They are fighting oil,” Trump said. “They're basically saying: 'Let's shut down our country.' Trump has long questioned the scientific consensus on humans' role in climate change. One of his first acts as president was to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, which his successor, Joe Biden, reversed. If re-elected, Trump wants to boost fossil fuel production. The United States is by far the largest producer of oil and gas.

Trump by 48%

According to a poll conducted by the Des Moines Register regional newspaper and other media, Trump received 48% – far ahead of his rivals. Another poll showed that Trump received 55%. Haley, considered somewhat more moderate, comes in second with 20 percent. This is four percentage points higher than in December. DeSantis fell to third place with 16 percent. He was once considered Trump's biggest rival in the race for the presidential nomination. But he has lost support in recent months and has remained visibly pale in television matches. He has been particularly focused on Iowa during the campaign, and if he finishes only third there, it will be a disastrous start to the election year for him.

At the weekend, he was aggressive and tried to play down poor poll numbers. “I've learned that it's good to be an outsider. (…) I prefer people to lower their expectations of us. That way I can do better.” When asked about his rival Trump, the 45-year-old replied: “The first time I didn’t He adheres to the most important promises.”

Will Haley become Trump's deputy?

Haley urged her followers to defy the weather and vote: “Iowa, you have work to do tomorrow. The 51-year-old former governor of South Carolina began her campaign last February – and her poll results at the time were very low. She has worked her way forward in the past few months and scored points, especially in televised duels between Republicans, from which Trump has stayed away. However, Haley is reluctant to publicly distance herself from Trump, whose Cabinet served as UN ambassador. Therefore, observers expect that she may become Trump's nominee for vice president.

Republicans vote in the primary elections in the agricultural state located in the American Midwest, in the traditional form of a caucus, in which party members meet in schools, churches, gyms, or living rooms. President Biden's Democrats are voting in Iowa for the first time in a multi-week email process. For them, Biden is practically confirmed as a presidential candidate, and he has no serious rivals.-(APA)