Donald Trump projected to win Iowa caucuses by record margin

Donald Trump has decisively won the Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa, early results and projections show.

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are now vying for a second-place finish in the Midwestern state that may give them some momentum in upcoming races.

The former US president appeared likely to win by a record-setting margin, based on early results, despite facing four criminal cases that could go to trial before the November election.

With 34% of the expected vote tallied late on Monday, Trump had 51.9% of the vote, while DeSantis was at 20.7% and Haley 19%, Edison Research said. The largest margin of victory for an Iowa Republican caucus was 12.8 percentage points for Bob Dole in 1988.

As the results rolled in, Trump addressed hundreds of cheering supporters at a caucus site at the Horizon Events Center.

“He is totally destroying our country,” Trump said of Biden. “We were a great nation three years ago and today people are laughing at us.”

Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesperson for the main super political action committee supporting Trump, said: “The people of Iowa sent a clear message tonight: Donald Trump will be the next Republican nominee for President. It’s now time to make him the next President of the United States.”

Iowans braved perilously cold temperatures of -23C, with a wind chill of -43C, to gather at more than 1,600 schools, community centres and other sites for the caucus.

Due to its early spot on the campaign calendar, Iowa has historically played an outsized role in presidential elections.

But the winner of the state’s Republican caucuses did not go on to secure the nomination in the last three competitive contests in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

More to follow