Iowa is one of the “toss up” states in this year’s presidential election — something Donald Trump drove home during his rally here on Friday. It was a few minutes into his hour-long speech in Des Moines when Trump told the crowd he’d raised “60 million dollars cash” in July for his campaign. “I’m spending a lot of money, folks. I’ll tell you what: if we don’t pull this off, I’m blaming Iowa,” Trump said, getting laughter from the crowd. “If we don’t pull this off, I’ll say: ‘We wasted a lot of money, time and energy.'”

Trump later repeated his promise that, as president, he would ensure Iowans get to cast the first votes in the 2020 presidential campaign. “I learned a lot about the world of politics from Iowa. I don’t love the caucus system, by the way. I could do without the (caucus). I like a vote. I like when you walk in and vote and leave. Not when somebody takes your people and they wine ’em and dine ’em. ‘Let’s go have dinner.’ ‘Let’s take a flight.’ ‘Would you like to see Iowa from a helicopter?’ Right? Nah,” Trump said, adding a sort of verbal shrug: “But — the caucus system.”

Trump landed his helicopter near the Iowa State Fairgrounds last August — during the state fair — and gave children rides. Last Friday, Trump thanked all the Iowa delegates at the G-O-P’s national convention in Cleveland for voting for him. And Trump concluded his speech by saying Iowa’s Caucuses are a thing of “a great beauty.”
“Iowa is an amazing place. You’re going to keep your place in history. You’re going to be that ‘first state,'” Trump said. “…I know so many people, good people — politicians, that came and they thought they were going to be president and they came and they had to go through Iowa and New Hampshire and they went to Iowa. And that was the end of their presidency.”

Trump campaigned on Saturday in New Hampshire, another swing state in the General Election. Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Trump’s running mate, will campaign in Sioux City and Council Bluffs later today (Monday). Hillary Clinton campaigned last week in Omaha, but Clinton has not appeared in Iowa since the Caucuses.

(Radio Iowa)