©(Timothy A. Clary, AFP)
Donald Trump steamrolled into New Hampshire Tuesday after his crushing win in Iowa cemented him as the likely Republican presidential nominee, stopping on the way for a defamation trial that underscores how much the road to November's election remains in uncharted territory.
The twice-impeached former president romped home in the first contest of the drawn-out 2024 race for the White House, scoring 51 percent of Republican voters to trounce rivals Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley for the biggest Iowa caucus victory in modern history.
Victory in next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary would mean Trump, 77, could all but seal the nomination, and a grudge rematch against President Joe Biden, as he aims for a sensational White House comeback despite a string of scandals that would sink most other politicians.
Before heading to the New England state, though, Trump had another appointment, appearing in a New York courtroom where he is on trial for defamation in the wake of a jury finding he was liable for a 1990s sexual assault against writer E. Jean Carroll.
Trump has used the Carroll case, and 91 criminal indictments on allegations including his bid to overturn the 2020 loss to Biden, to galvanize Republican supporters with his claims of a "deep state" trying to keep him out of power.
While Trump's victory speech in a wintry Iowa at first struck an unusually conciliatory note, saying it was "time now for everybody, the country, to come together", he soon reverted to the harsh rhetoric that promises one of the most divisive elections in memory.
He vowed to shut the Mexican border to stop an "invasion" of migrants and hammered home the abrasive messaging that has fired up his base as he seeks what he says will be "retribution" against Democrat Biden.
For his part, Biden sought to reassure his supporters that Trump's strong showing in Iowa was not cause for alarm.
"I am still the only person to ever beat Donald Trump and I am looking forward to doing it again, for the good of this country," he said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Katrine Dige Houmøller, with AFP
The twice-impeached former president romped home in the first contest of the drawn-out 2024 race for the White House, scoring 51 percent of Republican voters to trounce rivals Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley for the biggest Iowa caucus victory in modern history.
Victory in next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary would mean Trump, 77, could all but seal the nomination, and a grudge rematch against President Joe Biden, as he aims for a sensational White House comeback despite a string of scandals that would sink most other politicians.
Before heading to the New England state, though, Trump had another appointment, appearing in a New York courtroom where he is on trial for defamation in the wake of a jury finding he was liable for a 1990s sexual assault against writer E. Jean Carroll.
Trump has used the Carroll case, and 91 criminal indictments on allegations including his bid to overturn the 2020 loss to Biden, to galvanize Republican supporters with his claims of a "deep state" trying to keep him out of power.
While Trump's victory speech in a wintry Iowa at first struck an unusually conciliatory note, saying it was "time now for everybody, the country, to come together", he soon reverted to the harsh rhetoric that promises one of the most divisive elections in memory.
He vowed to shut the Mexican border to stop an "invasion" of migrants and hammered home the abrasive messaging that has fired up his base as he seeks what he says will be "retribution" against Democrat Biden.
For his part, Biden sought to reassure his supporters that Trump's strong showing in Iowa was not cause for alarm.
"I am still the only person to ever beat Donald Trump and I am looking forward to doing it again, for the good of this country," he said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Katrine Dige Houmøller, with AFP
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