'It's worth it': Donald Trump urges voters to caucus for him amid punishing cold
Former President Donald Trump made a final plea for supporters Sunday afternoon to show up in the frigid cold to caucus for him, revisiting familiar lines of attack against his political opponents while tempering expectations of his predicted margin of victory.
"You can't sit home," Trump said. "If you're sick as a dog … even if you vote and then pass away, it's worth it."
Trump, who was scheduled to hold four in-person rallies throughout the state this weekend before scrapping three because of an extended blizzard, spoke to a packed Simpson College auditorium after supporters stood in line for hours in wind chills that reached the mid-negative 40s.
"If this is any indication, the storm has had zero effect," Trump said. "You're very hearty people, I've heard that."
The former president assembled a cadre of celebrity endorsers and members of Congress backing him for the final push in Iowa, including WWE star Kane, British politician Nigel Farage and longtime Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable.
Having previously voiced concerns about his large polling lead making supporters complacent, Trump asked supporters in no uncertain terms to show up to their caucus sites tomorrow night — no matter what.
Iowa Caucus 2024 live updates:Trump, Haley and other 2024 Republicans rally before crucial contest
Trump donned white-and-gold 'caucus captain' hats
As Trump met with volunteers at Hotel Fort Des Moines on Sunday morning, donning one of the campaign's custom white-and-gold "caucus captain" hats, he remarked that he didn't believe he would eclipse 50% of the vote on Caucus Day.
"There seems to be something about 50, I don't know if we break 50," Trump said.
He pointed to the record Republican margin of victory in the caucuses (a 12-point win by Bob Dole in 1996), a number advisers cited in recent days as a benchmark for what they would consider a successful night.
The 50% mark, Trump argued, was set by press and analysts to set him up for disappointment.
"I think they're doing it so that they can set a high expectation," Trump said. "So if we end with 49%, which would be about 25 points bigger than anyone else has ever gotten, they can say 'it was a failure.'"
Trump has set sky-high expectations throughout the campaign in Iowa, matching his unprecedented lead in polling as the faraway front-runner.
Ex-rival Marco Rubio endorses Donald Trump
Trump received a surprising endorsement from Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday.
Once an ex-rival who called Trump "a con artist," the U.S. senator from Florida expressed admiration for a few things the candidate did as president, such as expanding the child tax credit and levying sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela.
"We had a President who didn’t cave to special interests or let bureaucrats block us," Rubio said in a statement shared by the Trump 2024 campaign.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also endorsed Trump as a special guest at his Indianola, Iowa, rally. Burgum, who dropped out of the race in December, said Trump promises to "deliver energy dominance" to the nation.
GOP rivals urge voters to consider new party frontrunner
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said his fellow GOP candidates need to urge the country to head in a different direction than making Trump the party's nominee.
"And if someone does not say that, then ... we're basically saying he's going to be a great nominee for us," Hutchinson said at his meet and greet on Sunday at Jethro's BBQ in Ames, Iowa. "One person in America who really likes the poll numbers where they see Donald Trump 28 points ahead is Joe Biden. He's sitting there loving it because that's the one chance he has to win."
Hutchinson is polling at 1%, according to the latest Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll that places Trump at 48% and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley at second place with 20%.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also warned voters on Sunday when he was asked to give his closing arguments in an interview with ABC’s "This Week." The Florida governor said Trump is "running for his issues" while he’s “running for your issues and your family's issues."
