A forecast of strong thunderstorms and a tornado watch caused former President Donald Trump to cancel his scheduled rally in Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday.
"Unfortunately, due to the Tornado warnings in Des Moines, we are forced to cancel today's outdoor rally at the Lauridsen Amphitheater," Trump said on his Truth Social account Saturday. "Stay tuned, we will reschedule soon. Be safe out there!"
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for Des Moines County in Iowa until 8 p.m. ET and warned of "hazardous weather" throughout the day including quarter-sized hail and heavy rains, and a possibility of tornadoes.
The Des Moines Register reported that the scheduled rally was to take place the same day as GOP rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is visiting the state for events in Sioux City and Grand Rapids.
According to the report, guest speakers were to begin at 5 p.m. ET and Trump was scheduled to address supporters at 8 p.m. ET.
It would have been the second time Trump visited the key presidential primary state since announcing his candidacy in March, the news outlet reported.
According to the political polling website FiveThirtyEight, Trump is still leading DeSantis in the GOP primary race by 30 percentage points, 52.1% to 22.5% although DeSantis has not yet officially announced being in the race.
The rest of the announced GOP 2024 field including, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, are all polling in single digits, according to the site.
Trump initially visited the state, which will hold the first GOP presidential caucuses of the 2024 presidential election cycle, in March, attending an event in Davenport, the Associated Press reported at the time.
"I wouldn't think I'd have to be really too aggressive," the AP reported Trump telling his supporters in the packed theater. "We've done a good job for the farmers. No president has ever done more for the farmers than I have."
He used that event to take a swipe at DeSantis, comparing him to Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, who voted to impeach Trump in 2021, and called him "a disciple of Paul Ryan, who was a RINO loser." The acronym stands for "Republican in name only."
On his campaign website, Trump said he would return to the state as soon as he can.
"We will be there at the first available date," he said.
"We are proud to receive the support of Iowa's most conservative and committed Republicans," Trump State Director Marshall Moreau stated on the website. "These grassroots leaders have long fought for the America First Movement and are just the beginning of an army that President Trump is building to win the First-in-the-Nation Republican caucuses."
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