Trump takes win at Iowa caucuses
Donald Trump has returned to New York City to take part in the E Jean Carroll defamation trial, brought against him by the former Elle magazine columnist who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s, for which the candidate was found liable last year.
The trip marks an emphatic slump back to earth for the Republican after he was named the overwhelming winner of the Iowa caucuses on Monday night.
Mr Trump notched up more than 51 per cent of the vote in the Midwest while his Republican challengers Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley followed way behind in second and third place with 21 per cent and 19 per cent respectively.
Vivek Ramaswamy scored just 8 per cent and has since suspended his campaign and endorsed the winner.
Speaking after his decisive victory, the former president hailed “a very special night” and pledged that he would “straighten up the problems of the world” if he returned to the White House.
Only after his latest trial appearance can the GOP presidential nominee-presumptive turn his attention towards campaigning in New Hampshire ahead of that state’s all-important primary next week.
Analysis: Trump’s election lies are thriving. His GOP rivals aren’t challenging them
Donald Trump’s supporters continue to adopt his bogus narrative that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, with nearly 70 per cent of his Iowa caucus voters falsely believing President Joe Biden was illegitimately elected.
Asked whether they believed President Biden was legitimately elected to the presidency in 2020, more than two-thirds of Iowa caucus goers said no, according to entrance polls from last night’s caucuses.
That includes 69 per cent of Iowa caucus goers who supported Mr Trump. Only 11 per cent of his supporters in Iowa believe the president was legitimately elected.
Mr Trump has relied on conspiracy theories and a fake narrative that the 2020 election was rigged against him to cast doubt on the legitimacy of elections he lost. Those false claims have since animated Republican campaigns for public offices across the country and GOP-drafted legislation in nearly every state to change how elections are run.
The false claims surrounding the 2020 election and the electoral process fuelled violence at the US Capitol on January 6, and the former president is facing criminal charges in Washington DC and in Georgia for his spurious attempts to overturn election results culminating in a mob that stormed the halls of Congress to do it by force.
Alex Woodward16 January 2024 19:45
The scene in court
Jury selection is done and opening arguments will begin soon at 3pm.
Donald Trump and E Jean Carroll did not make eye contact the entire time, though at several points they did seem to look in each other’s direction.
Each time Judge Kaplan told the potential jurors the facts: Trump sexually assaulted Carroll and he defamed her, he would shake his head
Judge Kaplan is not messing around today — he got short with Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, and reiterated to her that her repeatedly asking for things wouldn’t change his mind
Trump spent most of the jury selection just facing forward with a blank stare. It’s hard to ignore how tired he must be, given his speech in Iowa was only late last night. This is just a precursor to how ridiculous his schedule will be this year.
Carroll, wearing a white blazer and belt cinched at the waist, remains poised on the edge of her seat with her hands folded in her lap. She looks around at the jury often.
The potential jurors were asked if they vote, what news outlets they read and more. A majority said they voted in the last two elections and many named The New York Times or cable television as their choice of news outlets.
Original article here. .