Trump wins Iowa caucuses in landslide victory reinforcing lead over Haley and DeSantis

Former President Donald Trump handedly won the Iowa caucuses Monday, a critical victory in the first stage of the Republican primaries, solidifying his lead over his opponents, according to reports from the Associated Press and NBC News.

Trump reportedly won about 51% of the vote with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 21%, Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at about 19%, and Vivek Ramaswamy trailing at 7.7%.

Trump’s victory sets the stage for history in the making as he is on track to the become the first presidential nominee under indictment as the former president battle four major criminal cases in Florida, Georgia, New York and Washington, D.C.

Trump’s victory came amid a stunning cold front that made it difficult for the former president’s supporters to show up for gatherings at churches, community centers and schools across the

The magnitude of Trump’s success is still coming into focus, but the former president’s supporters endured a historic and life-threatening cold snap to participate in caucus meetings that unfolded in schools, churches and community centers across the Hawkeye State.

While Trump’s Iowa victory is just the first primary of many, his success will most likely mute many of his detractors in both the Democratic and Republican parties.

If the 45th president were to win reelection this November, his victory would mark the first time in history that a former president was reelected after losing to a challenger. Former President Grover Cleveland, also a Republican, won the 22nd presidency, lost the next term to Benjamin Harrison, and then returned as the 24th president the following term.

His final margin of victory could also overshadow the 13 points that former Senate Majority Leader Bob  Dole from Kansas won in 1996, when he came in far ahead of his challengers, such as former Reagan press secretary Patrick Buchanan.

Last week, NBC and the Des Moines Register collaborated with Mediacom and assessed that 48% of most caucus attendees supported Trump with 20% favoring Haley and 16% backing DeSantis.

Shortly after Ramaswamy was projected as coming in a distant fourth, he announced he was suspending his presidential campaign.