#All about citizen free press full#

#All about citizen free press full#

Many of the campaigns set up tables full of stickers, T-shirts and drink can coolers. The event had the feel of a large political fair, with about 1,000 people gathered to listen to the presidential prospects speaking in front of bales of hay in a building at the fairgrounds. In their speeches, the GOP candidates hit on similar conservative themes: criticizing President Joe Biden, promising tough policies on China and the U.S.-Mexico border and restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming policies. We do not elevate them on the world stage.' Hutchinson later tweeted: 'We sanction leaders who oppress their people. Pence, in an interview Saturday with Fox News, said: 'Look, whether it is my former running mate or anyone else, no one should be praising the dictator in North Korea.' I mean, I think, one, Kim Jung Un is a murderous dictator,' DeSantis said, when a reporter asked him about the post. Off stage, however, several of the candidates did not hesitate to criticize Trump when asked about his social media post on Friday congratulating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for his country's receiving a place on the executive board of the World Health Organization. We've got to leave the baggage of the negativity behind,' she said. Haley repeated a version of a line she has been using as a candidate that seems to allude to the 76-year-old Trump and his political career as replete with controversies. In their remarks, the candidates all tiptoed around mentions of the former president. Asa Hutchinson, Michigan businessman Perry Johnson, author Vivek Ramaswamy and conservative talk radio host Larry Elder. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former Arkansas Gov. Other candidates speaking at the event included former U.N. The group rode to the fairgrounds, where candidates gave speeches and chatted with barbecue-eating voters. The former vice president, wearing a white motorcycle helmet and a big grin, then rode off on a cobalt blue Harley Davidson. I said I'm more worried about the lane we're going to be staying in today,' Pence joked. 'One of the reporters just asked me if we're showing up more in Iowa, what our lane would be. 'I don't have anything to announce today.'Įarlier in the morning, before setting out on their motorcycle ride, Pence, standing with Ernst in the back of a pickup truck, again hinted at his looming candidacy. 'I'll be back a little later next week,' Pence teased the crowd when he spoke later at the rally. The former Indiana governor, who has made frequent trips to Iowa over the past year, is expected to launch his long-anticipated campaign at an event in Des Moines on Wednesday. He wore jeans, boots and a leather vest with patches that said 'Indiana' and messages supportive of the military. Pence was the only White House hopeful who participated in a morning motorcycle ride for charity that is a staple of Ernst's annual 'Roast and Ride' event. It brought to mind comparisons to first lady Melania Trump, who famously sent a back-of-the-jacket message of her own in 2018 with a green-hooded jacket that read ' I really don't care do u ' as she departed the White House for a trip to visit migrant children in Texas. He has largely avoided any events that have him sharing the stage with his 2024 rivals.ĭeSantis, with his wife, Casey, and three young kids in tow, chatted with voters, gave out autographs and signed the Bible of a man who thanked DeSantis for 'standing up to Disney.' DeSantis just wrapped up his first week as an official candidate with a blitz of c ampaign stops across three early-voting states.Ĭasey DeSantis wore a black leather jacket in 86-degree weather with the words 'Where Woke Goes to Die' and an outline of Florida on the back. Her annual political event, the 'Roast and Ride' - a combination barbecue-rally and motorcycle ride - kicks off a busy summer campaign season heading into the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses early next year.įormer President Donald Trump, the leading GOP presidential candidate, was notably absent after spending two days in the state this past week. Ron DeSantis were among the White House contenders appearing at a rally at the state fairgrounds near Des Moines hosted by U.S. The former vice president and Florida Gov. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Amid plates of sliced pork, statement-making leather ensembles and piles of political T-shirts, eight Republican presidential hopefuls descended on Iowa to pitch themselves to voters and, in Mike Pence's case, hop on a motorcycle.