Trump cancels events in Iowa ahead of caucus as temperatures drop
The 2024 Republican candidates are eagerly awaiting the results of the Iowa caucuses on Monday – though if polling tells us anything, it’s that Donald Trump has a predictable commanding lead over the other candidates.
In a survey, conducted by The Des Moines Register, NBC News and Medicom, 48 per cent of potential voters said the former president was their first choice of Republican presidential candidates.
Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley was behind Mr Trump with 20 per cent support followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 16 per cent.
Vivek Ramaswamy had just 8 per cent while only 5 per cent of potential voters said they were still unsure.
Of the survey respondents more than half said they had their minds made up regarding who they would cast their vote for.
But for the 32 per cent who could still be persuaded to support a candidate, the presidential candidates are fighting hard to convince them to join their teams.
Trump attending mother-in-law’s funeral before weekend of campaigning in New Hampshire
The Republican front-runner has announced his temporary return to Florida for the funeral today of his mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs, reporting that he will be back on the campaign trail in New Hampshire on Friday.
Knavs, 78, passed away from an undisclosed illness on 9 January.
Joe Sommerlad18 January 2024 14:00
Trump claims you need ID to buy bread in rambling New Hampshire rally address
Fresh from his tetchy appearance sitting in on E Jean Carroll’s testimony in New York, Donald Trump was back out on the rally circuit in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, last night, drumming up votes ahead of next Tuesday’s Republican primary.
It was the usual rambling mess of pet grievances and wounded victimhood, a few highlights of which follow.
Joe Sommerlad18 January 2024 13:00
En route back to New Hampshire, Trump says he’s the one who should be paid damages
Moments after the conclusion of the second day of a jury trial to determine how much money he owes a woman he defamed for lying about sexually abusing her, Donald Trump claimed that he is the one who suffered damages.
The former president – on trial a second time for defaming E Jean Carroll, who has accused Trump of sexually assaulting her and then lying about never meeting her – briefly spoke at his 40 Wall Street property after jurors in a federal courtroom heard several hours of testimony from the former Elle magazine writer.
Trump, who baselessly casts his growing pile of legal challenges as a Democratic conspiracy to keep him away from the White House, called the trial “rigged” and “election interference” based on a “made-up, fabricated story”.
He has since continued his attack on Truth Social.
Alex Woodward has been following the trial.
Joe Sommerlad18 January 2024 12:00
Haley says DeSantis ‘invisible’ in New Hampshire
Nikki Haley has attacked Republican rival Ron DeSantis in a new interview with Fox News, saying he is “invisible” in New Hampshire and is “closer to zero than he is to me” in polling terms.
“It’s Trump we’re going after,” she insists.
The front-runner’s new cheerleader Vivek Ramaswamy has also turned his attention to the Florida governor, imploring him to drop out and arguing he would deserve “immense credit” if he did so now.
Joe Sommerlad18 January 2024 11:30
What to watch for in New Hampshire’s primary
Republican candidates for president landed in New Hampshire this week after the bitterly cold Iowa caucuses ended in a landslide victory for Donald Trump early on Monday evening.
John Bowden looks at what we should be watching out for in the Granite State.
Joe Sommerlad18 January 2024 11:00
Haley refuses to condemn Trump’s sexual abuse of E Jean Carroll
“You’re the only woman in this race. How do you feel about your party’s front-runner being held liable for sexual abuse?” CNN’s Dana Bash asked Ms Haley.
Read on to see how she responded…
Oliver O’Connell18 January 2024 10:00
Bannon explodes as Speaker Johnson says Biden’s presidency is ‘God’s will’
Mr Bannon has spent the last several years hosting his War Room right-wing podcast, and made clear on a recent episode that he disagreed with Mr Johnson’s take on Mr Biden’s presidency.
Mr Johnson made the comments on Wednesday during a press conference. He was asked if Mr Biden’s presidency was “God’s will.”
Graig Graziosi has the story:
Oliver O’Connell18 January 2024 08:00
Harris responds to Haley claiming US has ‘never’ been racist country
Kamala Harris has rejected Nikki Haley’s claim on Fox News that the United States has “never” been a racist country.
The vice president criticised the Republican 2024 hopeful a day after Ms Haley rejected the suggestion she finished third in the Iowa caucuses behind two white men because of the colour of her skin.
Ms Haley, Donald Trump’s former ambassador to the UN, made her comments during a Tuesday appearance on Fox News in response to comments by MSNBC host Joy Reid.
Oliver O’Connell18 January 2024 06:00
In bid to argue ‘political bias’ in classified documents case, Trump demands Biden administration papers
In a new court filing, lawyers for former president Donald Trump argued that the federal case against him for allegedly holding onto classified documents is “politically motivated.”
The documents, which were filed Tuesday, lay out the possible legal strategy Trump’s defence team plans to use to combat the criminal charges against him.
Oliver O’Connell18 January 2024 04:00
Maga lawmaker reacts angrily after being called out over Trump family separation scandal
Maga Republican lawmaker Anna Paulina Luna lashed out at an immigration expert after he laughed at her defence of the Trump administration’s policies of separating migrant children from their parents.
During a House of Representatives hearing on Wednesday, Ms Luna contested that the policies had inflicted psychological trauma on the children.
Responding to Cato Institute immigration expert David Bier, she said: “You talk about intentional trauma and that the Trump administration caused intentional trauma by separating these children from their quote-unquote ‘parents’.
“The fact is, is that… you don’t know what these people are like.” Ms Luna then paused to ask: “Mr Bier why are you laughing?”
Mike Bedigan reports on how he replied:
Oliver O’Connell18 January 2024 02:20