The big favorite of the right for the American presidential election has a name: Donald Trump. The ex-president won the first of the Republican primaries this Monday evening in Iowa, the American media announced barely half an hour after the start of the vote.
Despite the snowstorm that hit the Midwestern state and which raised fears for participation in this caucus, the ex-president is moving a little closer to a probable duel with Democrat Joe Biden, the current occupant of the White House.
The 77-year-old tycoon, four times criminally charged, had, according to polls, one of the largest leads ever seen over his opponents (nearly 50% of voting intentions). He predicted to his supporters a “terrific” evening, even though it was the first time since the 2020 election that the Republican candidate faced the judgment of voters.
This first moment of truth of the campaign weighs heavily: if the former president had not obtained the announced victory in Iowa, his image of invincibility risked being damaged for the rest of the race. Especially since he is expected this Tuesday, January 16 at a new trial in New York, being sued for the second time in civil court for defamation by an author who has already had him convicted in 2023 for sexual assault.
Trump, the “clear favorite” of the Republicans
Starting next week, the highly orchestrated ballet of the primaries will take the candidates to New Hampshire, before, in turn, each of the 50 states votes until June. In their sights, the national convention in July, which will officially nominate the Republican presidential candidate.
If Donald Trump leaves his main rivals far behind him Ron DeSantis (second, with around 21% of the vote according to provisional results) and Nikki Haley (third, with almost 19% of the vote).
As for Vivek Ramaswamy, who obtained around 7% of the votes, he announced in the evening that he was abandoning the race to support the winner of the Iowa caucus.
“There is no possible path for me to be the next president […]. I called Donald Trump to tell him that I congratulated him on his victory and that from now on he would have my full support for the presidency,” he added.
There are many political reactions. Starting with that of the current president, Joe Biden, according to whom Donald Trump’s dazzling victory in Iowa makes him the “clear favorite” of the Republicans in the presidential election.