Change in strategy and unperturbed voters: How Trump has pulled ahead in Iowa caucuses

On the eve of the all-important Iowa caucuses, former president Donald Trump implored the voters to brave the frigid cold temperatures to cast their ballot and help him fight back against his political enemies. Trump told Iowans that their vote would help bring to Washington the retribution he has repeatedly promised if he came back to power.

Trump held a campaign rally in the state on Sunday (Jan 14) which was akin to a victory parade as nearly all opinion polls showed him pulling away from the rest of the field, rather handsomely.

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“These caucuses are your personal chance to score the ultimate victory over all of the liars, cheaters, thugs, perverts, frauds, crooks, freaks, creeps and other quite nice people," Trump told the audience.

"The Washington swamp has done everything in its power to take away your voice. But tomorrow is your time to turn on them and to say and speak your mind and to vote," he added.

Trump's shift in strategy

Despite leading the race, Trump is not willing to sit on his laurels. Instead, he is going for the kill which was evident when he criticised his Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy for the first time in the presidential race on Saturday (Jan 13).

Trump urged his supporters to not 'waste' their vote on the rookie in the presidential nomination race.

"Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, "the best President in generations,"etc. Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

"Very sly, but a vote for Vivek is a vote for the "other side" - don't get duped by this. Vote for "TRUMP," don't waste your vote! Vivek is not MAGA," Trump added.

Watch |Race to White House 2024: Iowa caucus crucial in Presidential race, voters to choose party's nominee

Voters with Trump despite court cases

While Trump shifts his strategy, his support base has only been galvanised by the plethora of court cases brought against him in recent months.

"He's the greatest president we've had in this century," Scott, one of the voters was quoted as saying by AFP, ahead of the vote.

"I think it's all crap. I think 100 per cent of it is coordinated and being done for political purposes," he added when quizzed about the four separate criminal cases against the ex-president

Iowa caucuses

After several rounds of debates, the Iowans will cast the first votes in the 2024 presidential nomination process on Monday (Jan 15).

According to the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll released on Saturday night, Trump was leading in the state with 48 per cent votes, with Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis occupying the subsequent spots with 20 and 16 per cent votes, respectively.

Ramaswamy occupied the fourth position with only eight per cent votes to his name.

(With inputs from agencies)