Florida man Rep. Matt Gaetz went on Newsmax Wednesday night to spin Donald Trump’s win in Monday’s Iowa’s Republican caucuses. After arguing that Trump’s victory was even biglier because the weather in Iowa was so bad, Gaetz addressed the nagging problem that the GOP—and Trump, in particular—faces: how much suburban women detest Donald Trump.
This is the blue-collar realignment of the Republican Party. And what I can tell you is like, for every Karen we lose there's a, there's a Julio and a Jamal ready to sign up for the MAGA movement. And that bodes well for our ability to be more diverse and to be more durable as we head into not only the rest of the primary contests but also the general election.
Trump’s victory in Iowa doesn’t support Gaetz’s claim Black and Latino male voters will make up for Trump’s poor performance with suburban women. Iowa is 89.8% white, and less than 15% of the state’s registered Republicans gave Trump just 51% of the vote.
As for the “Julio and a Jamal” vote Gaetz is crowing about, The Guardian put it best when it noted that this year’s caucuses featured “so few non-white Republican caucus-goers that entrance polling did not register them as a statistically significant bloc.”
In Gaetz’s defense, it seems very unlikely that Trump will be able to persuade suburban women to go out and vote for him. The last time he tried, in 2020, his strange and frequently uncomfortable attempts were less than inspiring. Such as the time he wowed the crowd at one one rally in Muskegon, Michigan, with this bit of oratory, “I saved your suburbs—women—suburban women, you’re supposed to love Trump.”
Three or so years haven’t changed much. These days, Trump spends a considerable amount of time in courtrooms, losing cases to a woman he has been found liable for abusing and repeatedly defaming.
Campaign Action
The Iowa primary took place Monday, and while traditional media outlets would like you to believe Trump won big the reality was anything but. Kerry and Markos talk about what the numbers really show and the possible ramifications for the rest of the primary season as well as the national election.