Donald Trump has won a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses, cementing his status as the clear frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
But Florida Governor Ron DeSantis edges out former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley to take a distant second place.
Trump has hailed his “very special” victory, telling reporters he wants to “straighten up the problems of the world”. Among the promises he made if he won a second term in the White House, he touted the mantra “drill baby drill” – vowing to ramp up domestic energy production. He also said he would “seal up the border” in the face of an “invasion”.
Iowa is the first of the state-by-state contests where Republican voters pick their White House candidate Haley had hoped to ride polling momentum to come second, but DeSantis’s relentless campaigning in the state paid off.
Meanwhile, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy drops out of the race and endorses Trump – he had caused a stir in early debates but failed to gain traction.
Whoever wins the Republican nomination will face a Democrat, almost certainly Joe Biden, in the November presidential election.
Rawr
Article URL : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-67973518