Trump sweeps lowa caucus to stamp election credentials

Former US President Donald J Trump kicked off his 2024 electoral journey with a massive win on Monday night by getting 51% of the votes cast by registered Republicans in the party's first primary caucus in Iowa - a result that establishes his dominance over the Grand Old Party, makes him the clear front-runner in the battle to become the Republican nominee for the next president of the US, and sets the stage for a likely rematch with President Joe Biden this November.

- Prashant Jha

Trump's decisive triumph he was declared the victor just half-an-hour into counting and reports indicate he won 98 of the state's 99 counties - is one more step towards an unprecedented situation in American democracy where a candidate who rejected the last electoral result, faces four criminal indictments and 91 charges of felony, and is barred from the ballot in two states, may become President again.

Even as Trump won, Florida governor, Ron DeSantis who had campaigned extensively in the state, came second with 21.2% of the vote, narrowly beating former South Carolina governor, the Indian-origin Nikki Haley, who won 19.1% of the vote. A setback for DeSantis in Iowa would have crippled his campaign, for Haley has the clear edge over him in the next primary in New Hampshire. Alternatively, if Haley had won, it would have positioned her as the clear hope for the nonTrump Republican coalition and independent voters who lean Right. But the Iowa result helps DeSantis remain in the battle and the future of Haley's campaign now heavily rests on New Hampshire and then her home state of South Carolina. To be sure, given Trump's surge, unless his candidacy collapses, the second slot means little politically.

Vivek Ramaswamy, the other Indian-American candidate in the Republican fray, dropped out of the race after winning 7.7% of the vote and coming a distant fourth in Iowa. After broadly echoing Trump's political positions and defending the former president for much of his campaign, the 38-year old, ained high visibility on a largely self-funded campaign, endorsed Trump formally on Monday and is likely to position himself for a senior position in a potential Trump administration.