CLIVE, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump returned to Iowa this week to greet Republican voters not from the stage of one of his outsized political rallies but in a smaller venue for more personal interaction.
Mr. Trump, the leading Republican candidate in Iowa and nationally, addressed about 180 people packed into the Machine Shed restaurant on Thursday. He delivered remarks on his plans for a second White House term and answered half a dozen questions from the crowd.
“There’s no way we don’t win Iowa,” Mr. Trump told the audience, which was packed with many of his loyal fans.
Mr. Trump has predicted a big win in the Iowa caucuses next year and is leading his nearest opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by 22 percentage points among state Republican voters.
Iowa is known for last-minute shifts, and the caucuses are eight months away. Mr. Trump placed second in the state in 2016 to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who won in part because of his months of intensive retail politicking.
This election cycle, Mr. Trump is competing against a growing list of Republican candidates who are beginning to saturate the state and spend time with voters who value close interaction with the candidates.
The event at the Machine Shed offered the kind of connection Iowa voters have come to expect from caucus candidates, even former presidents.
“When you go to a Trump rally, he’s the guy up on the stage and on the big screen,” Brad Boustead, one of the organizers of the event, told The Washington Times.
At smaller events such as the one at the Machine Shed, said Mr. Boustead, “he’s engaged. He can look people in the eye.”
Retired teacher Janet Lyman went to the restaurant for a closer look at Mr. Trump and was able to shake his hand.
“It’s much more personal,” said Ms. Lyman, an undecided caucus voter. “It makes you feel like you are really part of it rather than really far away.”
Mr. Trump had to cancel his planned rally in Des Moines last month because of the threat of severe weather. He has not yet rescheduled the rally and arrived back in the state this week to tape a town hall event for Fox News and to appear on a local radio show. He contacted the Westside Conservative Club, organizers said, and asked to appear at one of its events at the Machine Shed.
The club has hosted several other Republican presidential candidates, including Mr. Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, who plans to announce his White House bid next week.
Mr. Trump’s event required “cumbersome” Secret Service clearances and other precautions, organizers said, but they did not hesitate to host the former president, even if he had to squeeze into the crowded restaurant to address the club.
“We said, ‘Hey, if he wants to get down and dirty in the retail, we welcome it,’” Mr. Boustead said.
The attendance was dwarfed by Mr. Trump’s typical rally crowds but was the largest gathering he addressed this week. It included many die-hard supporters who would be just as happy sitting at one of his big rallies. It also attracted conservatives who weren’t so sure about Mr. Trump, even after voting for him in 2016 and 2020.
Ken Smith, 80, said he wanted to hear Mr. Trump without the fanfare of a scripted rally.
“I haven’t been a fan of his since he got beat,” Mr. Smith said after Mr. Trump left the event. “I’m more of a DeSantis guy. But he talked with much more sense today.”
Mr. Smith said he is considering switching his allegiance back to Mr. Trump after hearing him pledge forcefully to turn the country around in six months by immediately ending Biden administration policies that he said are damaging the country.
Mr. Trump criticized his top opponent, Mr. DeSantis, who spent part of the week courting Iowa voters and promoting his ability to serve two consecutive terms.
“You don’t need eight years; you need six months” to turn the country around, Mr. Trump said. “Who the hell wants to wait eight years?”
It was a convincing argument, Mr. Smith said.
“Part of the problem is he is a narcissistic jackass,” Mr. Smith said. “But that’s how he gets stuff done. I’d rather have a narcissistic jackass than somebody who’s a politician that says he’s going to do everything and he never does anything.”
Mr. Boustead said he believes Mr. Trump will be difficult to beat in the Iowa caucuses because voters long for a repeat of his successful presidential record boosting energy production, picking conservative Supreme Court justices, taking aim at China trade imbalances and other policy achievements.
His appearance at the Machine Shed shows that Mr. Trump is not taking his big lead in Iowa for granted.
“When people get to know him, they like him,” Mr. Boustead said. “And when they just hear about him on the news, maybe they’re a little more skeptical. So the retail is important. And it’s important to Iowans.”
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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