Donald Trump has won the Iowa primary, marking a significant step in his bid for the Republican nomination for a third consecutive time. However, the victory, declared by The Associated Press just 31 minutes after the caucuses began Monday evening, ignited a firestorm of controversy from Ron DeSantis' campaign.
DeSantis' staff and supporters expressed deep anger at the early announcement in favor of Trump, both at his watch party and on social media. The New York Times reported a widespread sense of disbelief and anger among DeSantis' camp, indicating deep concern about the media's influence in the electoral process.
Andrew Romeo, Ron DeSantis' communications director, made a striking statement, accusing the media of interfering in the election.
“It is absolutely disgraceful that the media would engage in election interference by calling the race before tens of thousands of Iowans have had a chance to vote. “The media is in the tank for Trump and this is the most egregious example yet,” Romeo wrote.
It is absolutely disgraceful that the media would engage in election interference by calling the race before tens of thousands of Iowans have had a chance to vote. The media is in Trump's tank and this is the most egregious example yet.
– Andrew Romeo (@andrewromeo33) January 16, 2024
Ron's campaign manager, James Othmeier, expressed frustration in an interview that the race was announced while voting was still underway.
He watches:
Campaign manager @JamesUthmeierFL He criticizes the media's “appalling” decision to call the race before all the votes have been cast:
“I have personally spoken in multiple circles and while presenting and presenting Ron DeSantis's closing argument and actually turning it around… pic.twitter.com/Anv1Uc6eGt
— DeSantis War Room (@DeSantisWarRoom) January 16, 2024
Adding to the chorus of disapproval, Christina Bushaw, who is serving as the rapid response director for Ron DeSantis' 2024 presidential campaign, amplified these sentiments with a retweet criticizing the media's timing.
“They're calling it because the caucuses are still going,” the retweet said. If this isn't election interference, I don't know what is. They are literally trying to force people to go home because it's already over according to the news networks. In 2024, news travels fast. We have become a dictatorship that chooses our representatives. Awesome just awesome!”
In a statement to FOX News, a DeSantis campaign official said: “They threw everything at Ron DeSantis. They couldn't kill him. Not only is he still standing, he's now got his ticket out of Iowa. This will be a long battle ahead, but that is what this campaign was built for. “The stakes are too high for this nation and we will not back down.”
New: Statement from senior @rondisantis Campaign official for @Fox News:
“They threw everything at Ron DeSantis. They couldn't kill him. Not only is he still standing, but now he's got his ticket out of Iowa. This is going to be a long fight ahead of us, but this is what's going to happen…
– Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 16, 2024
This story has been updated with additional information.
