BYRON YORK: In Iowa, Trump dwarfs Democratic competition.
Of course Donald Trump packed the Knapp Center arena on the campus of Drake University, filling all 7,152 seats in the stands, with more on the floor. Of course another 1,000 people or so, kept out by the fire marshal, hung around in sub-freezing temperatures outside to watch the president’s speech on a big screen. Of course the Trump event dwarfed those of any of his Democratic rivals days before the Iowa caucuses.
Here in the first-voting state, President Trump is just bigger than his opponents. And if that message isn’t made clear by just looking around, he spent a good deal of his speech reminding the audience of it. He is big, and they are small. He’s on top of his game, and they can’t get it together. He matters and they don’t.
“Joe had a crowd so small the other day that they set up a round table,” Trump said of former Vice President Joe Biden, as the crowd laughed. “Joe, Joe, he always gets the name wrong. How many times has he missed it? He’s in Iowa, he says, ‘Great to be in the great state of Ohio,’ and they say, ‘Joe, you’re in Iowa.’ You can’t do that.”
“What happened to Mini Mike?” Trump asked, referring to former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. “Where’s he? He’s not running. He’s skipping four or five states. Mini Mike — I’ve had him up to here.” With that, Trump raised his hand to mid-chest, and the crowd roared again.
“How about Boot Edge Edge?” Trump said. Just referring to the common pronunciation helper is enough to dismiss former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. “They say, ‘Edge Edge,'” Trump said. “I don’t see that one.”
Why is Trump in Iowa? Yes, there actually are Republican caucuses here on Monday night, but the fact that you might not even know that shows how little they matter, given the overwhelming Republican support for the president. Yes, Trump’s hapless GOP Never Trump opponents Bill Weld and Joe Walsh are wandering around the state somewhere, drawing a few people to this or that coffee shop while Trump fills the Knapp Center. Yes, Republican leaders are happy to see the president in their state.
But Trump’s appearance was for a higher purpose: To mess with his Democratic opponents.
It’s working.
Related: Bloomberg Just Gave Gun Owners 60 Million Reasons To Get Involved This Year.