Trump met with ‘USA’ chant, large crowd outside Iowa-Iowa State game

Former President Trump on Saturday was greeted with patriotic chants and applause as he arrived in Ames, Iowa to attend the 2023 Cy-Hawk football game.

During Trump’s visit to the early primary state, he was seen flipping burgers and throwing a football with members of the Alpha Gamma Ro fraternity at Iowa State University. He took time to autograph photos and the footballs, as well, according to the Associated Press.

Asked by a conservative media outlet of what he thought of the exchange, he replied “I guess the youth likes Trump.”

When the former president made his way to to the Jack Trice Stadium, he was also greeted by with a large crowd, with some chanting “USA.”

A prop plane also flew over the stadium carrying a banner that read, “Where’s Melania?” AP reported.

Largely seen as a campaign stop, Trump is not the only 2024 GOP hopeful to attend the game. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who spent a lot of his time alongside Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and going between tailgates — was also spotted at the game.

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum were also in the crowd.

The former president also attended the 2015 edition of the rivalry game.

Today’s visit follows a rally in South Dakota with Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who endorsed the former president for 2024. Noem is largely considered a possible running mate for Trump.

Trump leads the Republican primary field by a large margin. According to FiveThirtyEight, the former president is ahead of the second place DeSantis by an average of 40 points in national polling. 

The Associated Press contributed reporting.