Posted on 06/21/2017 8:55:13 AM PDT by iowamark
After postponing a Cedar Rapids rally in May, President Trump will travel to the city for a rally at the U.S. Cellular Center. Protests are also scheduled to take place near the venue.
Nearly half a year after President Trump’s inauguration, it seems to some he is rallying to garner excitement about the prospects of his re-election.
After postponing a Cedar Rapids rally in May, he is set to hold a 7 p.m. rally at the U.S. Cellular Center.
Holding a rally five months into his presidency has some people wondering if this is a belated victory lap or the early onset of Trump’s 2020 bid for re-election.
Cary Covington, a University of Iowa associate professor of political science, said Trump announcing his candidacy for the 2020 race this early would be unprecedented, but that the presumption that a president intends to run for re-election is universal.
“This is interesting, but doesn’t really change anything,” Covington said. “President Trump campaigning this early is also unprecedented. I am not sufficiently informed of the circumstances to say much about his visit to Cedar Rapids.”
UI political-science Professor Sara Mitchell said she thinks the rally could be a delayed part of his victory tour. She also said politicians campaign in Iowa early on because of the significant media attention surrounding the first-in-the-nation caucuses, which influence the chances that candidates can continue to run in the primaries.
“Now as an incumbent, the Iowa caucuses should be less consequential for the president because the party generally selects its own president to be the candidate for the election,” Mitchell said. “But if members of his own party are not happy with his leadership, which is possible, given he has extremely low presidential approval ratings by historical standards, then Trump may see advantages of building relationships with Iowa voters now.”
Justin Wasson, the chairman of the Linn County Republicans, said he predicts Trump will serve a second term, despite recent Gallup polls showing Trump’s job disapproval rating at 60 percent.
“At the end of the day, approval is just approval ratings,” he said. “They don’t change the fact that he’s our president.”
Wasson said he continues to see Trump fulfill his campaign promises, and thinks Iowans are satisfied and willing to rally alongside the president.
“I think a lot of the message that Trump portrayed during his 2016 campaign resonated with people from Iowa,” he said. “I think the numbers showed that. I think his message is particularly tailored for a lot of working-class people.”
Bret Nilles, the chairman of Linn County Democrats, said he feels Trump has not fulfilled several campaign promises, including creating jobs and boosting the economy’s growth rate and not bringing forth an infrastructure bill in Congress. He also said the withdrawal from the Paris Accord has been a failure for the environment.
Nilles said he thinks Trump is focusing on campaign rallies as a way of gaining publicity and exciting people about the potential of his administration rather than discussing what is actually being done to help Iowans.
With Trump choosing Cedar Rapids as his Iowa rally destination, Nilles said it contrasts with what the overall county citizens voted for.
“Linn County is a vote for Hillary [Clinton] and a Democratic stronghold,” Nilles said. “There are a lot of surrounding counties that voted for Trump and also because of the news media being centralized in Cedar Rapids.”
In the 2016 presidential election, Linn County gave Clinton 51 percent of the vote and Trump 42 percent, according to a Politico election results chart.
The Cedar Rapids rally exemplifies the failure of Trump’s presidency, Nilles said.
“He’s holding campaign rallies 150 days after his inauguration to talk about what he’s going to do,” Nilles said. “To date, he hasn’t really done anything — just a lot of talk and promises so far that really haven’t amounted to anything.”
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/rallies/cedar-rapids-ia/
Watch live coverage on www.kcrg.com and others
Today's Schedule (Central Time):
5:45pm arrive at Cedar Rapids airport
6:20pm tour Kirkwood Community College agriculture program
7pm rally at US Cellular Center
Trump is still actively campaigning while President.
Dems keep losing.
You could tell Trump loved doing his rallies. I said at the time it wouldn’t surprise me if he continued them while President if somewhat less frequently.
‘Holding a rally five months into his presidency has some people wondering if this is a belated victory lap or the early onset of Trump’s 2020 bid for re-election.’ -— President Trump had a rally back in April in the great state of PA.
My 4 year old cousin coming to visit us in Iowa in the 60’s: “ When are we going to see the rabbits?”
Unfortunately I live in swamp land now.
Love that he goes to “we the people.” Praying for his safety.
President Trump said long ago that he would like to get out at least once a Month to hold these type of Rallies.
The same people loved when Obama showed up, even if it was just to raise Money for the DNC.
I love it when President Trump goes to the people...while in Miami last week, the place was packed, he packs all the places he goes...
He loves America and the people and we know it, that’s why he’s the POTUS and a very good one at that...
This man has always been a winner, in everything he does, and he is teaching us how to win, NEVER GIVE IN AND NEVER GIVE UP...
God please place Your Hands on Our President and keep all evil away from him, American and Her People. Amen.
Should be mucho fun this evening...timing is perfect after the political slaughter of Obama’s Pretty Boy Man Servant, Jon “Pajama Boy” Ossoff and, his 40M dollars of “Hollywood Cash”, flushed down the nearest toilet drain!!! Democrats destroying themselves is tons of fun!!! Go...POTUS, Donald J. Trump...MAGA!!!
Look at his rallies:
FL
PA
IA
Watch for the next three to be
OH
MI
WI or NC
Is he going to bellow again that we are going to build a big, beautiful wall? The crowd should bellow back WHEN??? Same with draining the swamp. Same with rebuilding the Navy. Time to deliver Mr President. Don’t be a GWH Bush on us.
Oh my heart be still on the MI, please let us know if you have a date and venue, Thanks LS...
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