Iowa
After Trump’s big Iowa win, liberal journalists target GOP’s evangelical base: ‘The mask is entirely off’
Former President Trump won a resounding victory at the Iowa caucuses over his rivals for the GOP nomination, and multiple networks responded by condemning his base.
Unlike many caucuses of the past, the Iowa caucus of 2024 wasn’t particularly dramatic as Trump coasted to an expected landslide win.
But one of the biggest takeaways of the night, rather than about electoral politics, was about how many figures in the media wrote about Trump’s supporters themselves.
Columnist Sarah Posner wrote on MSNBC.com that Trump was victorious at the Iowa caucuses not because of his status as the leader of the GOP, but because he is the “leader of the Christian right,” arguing that endorsements from actual faith leaders “have faded from must-have endorsements to utter irrelevance.”
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Posner argued that in the past, the contemporary Christian right of American politics “projected an image (largely accepted at face value by political reporters) that evangelicals are church-going, patriotic ‘values voters’ who simply want to elect wholesome, biblically literate candidates who would enact ‘moral,’ family-friendly policies.”
“Trump didn’t ask evangelicals to change their goal of a government controlled by [W]hite conservative Christians,” Posner argued. “He just tore away the pretense that they wanted to accomplish that by democratic means.”
Posner also suggested that the secret sauce to Trump’s ability to co-opt the Christian right’s power was his understanding of the culturally religious and tribal forces behind politics.
“In the evangelical world, particularly in the charismatic world where Trump has a firm foothold, people believe they are waging a spiritual war against demonic enemies of Christianity and America,” The MSNBC columnist wrote. “Other Republicans, including DeSantis, tried unsuccessfully to campaign on similar themes. But Trump embodies the us-vs.-them mentality of this cosmic battle between the godly and the satanic and uses it, along with his savior status, to his full advantage in falsely portraying his criminal prosecutions as the work of an evil, corrupt political system.”
JOY REID ACCUSES WHITE CHRISTIAN IOWANS OF WANTING TO HAVE PEOPLE OF COLOR ‘BOW DOWN’ TO THEM
MSNBC host Joy Reid turned the conversation about Trump’s win this week specifically to “White Christians,” relaying an earlier exchange she had with Robert “Robbie” Jones, the president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and author of “The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy.”
She asked him why White Christians support Trump with such loyalty, despite his history of electoral losses, and read Jones’ response, “’They see themselves as the rightful inheritors of this country, and Trump has promised to give it back to them.’”
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Reid expanded and told her co-hosts, “All the things that we think about, about electability, about what are people gaming out, but none of that matters when you believe that God has given you this country, that it is yours, and that everyone who is not a White, conservative Christian is a fraudulent American, is a less real American. Then you don’t care about electability. You care about what God has given you.”
Later that evening she reiterated her point, arguing, “They’re not trying to convince people and win people over through politics. What they’re saying is, ‘We own this country, and everyone will bow down to us.’”
That same evening, MSNBC host Alex Wagner argued that Christian evangelicals believed Trump was a “Second Coming,” referring to Jesus Christ, adding that she felt “fascinated” by the evangelical voting bloc “because the number of really esteemed reporters have been talking about the way in which the Trump coalition, the MAGA coalition, has absolutely just devoured the evangelical coalition.”
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Salon’s senior politics writer Amanda Marcotte condemned American evangelicals, arguing that their portion of America has always been morally bankrupt, long before they embraced Trump as their “lord and savior.” Marcotte slammed pundits for believing a “fantasy” that “American evangelicals are morally upright people” and argued that their support of Trump has more to do with right-wing views on race and gender than Christ-following.
A LOOK BACK AT IOWA CAUCUS NIGHTS FROM THE PAST
“Trump is an avatar for the current mood of [W]hite evangelicals,” she wrote. “They are done pretending to be ‘compassionate.’ The mask is entirely off. Evangelicals are not the salt-of-the-earth types idealized by centrist pundits. They are what feminists, anti-racists and pro-LGBTQ activists have always said: authoritarians who may use Jesus as cover for their ugly urges, but have no interest in the ‘love thy neighbor’ teachings of their purported savior.”
Marcotte cited a piece from The New York Times observing that many modern evangelicals who support Trump are often the ones who don’t attend church regularly and are more acutely concerned by immigration.
“’Being evangelical once suggested regular church attendance, a focus on salvation and conversion and strongly held views on specific issues such as abortion. Today, it is as often used to describe a cultural and political identity: one in which Christians are considered a persecuted minority, traditional institutions are viewed skeptically and Mr. Trump looms large.” Ruth Graham and Charles Homans of the New York Times wrote in their piece.
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Marcotte appeared to respond that such findings vindicate arguments that White Evangelical identity is “constructed less around spirituality and more around a very racist, sexist set of political preferences.”
“Trump may not believe in faith or salvation, but he sure believes in racism and sexism,” Marcotte wrote. “That Iowa evangelicals turned out to back Trump isn’t a betrayal of their values. It reveals the values that always fueled their movement. It’s just the last bit of plausible deniability has faded away.”
Alex Woodward of The Independent condemned Trump for speeding forward “with a Christian nationalist agenda.”
Woodward slammed Trump for catering to a “key Republican voting bloc of evangelical Christians” by “leaning into a fantasy among supporters and social media influencers depicting him as something of a messianic figure, who was sent by God as a ‘shepherd to mankind.’”
“His campaign has relied on the mountain of criminal charges and lawsuits against him to cast himself as a victim of political persecution. His evangelical support has cast him as a Biblical David against the ‘deep state’ Goliath,” Woodward wrote, “while he echoes [W]hite supremacist manifestos and plots his revenge against the justice system.”
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The Independent then shared a statement from executive director of Faithful America Rev Nathan Empsall who appeared to equate Trump with some form of Christian fascism.
“It’s disheartening, if not surprising, that Donald Trump and other MAGA politicians have been able to consolidate so much evangelical Christian support in Iowa, following years of lies that portray their violent cause as a holy war,” he told the Independent. “Most American Christians reject the Christofascism and Christian nationalism that Trump and MAGA stand for, and will continue to do so throughout this election season and beyond.”
Iowa
Fatal crash on I-35 in Iowa
NORTHWOOD, Iowa (KTTC) – One person is dead after a single-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon in Worth County.
According to Iowa State Patrol, around 1:45 p.m., a vehicle was traveling southbound on Interstate 35 in Worth County near the 208-exit ramp. The driver lost control of the vehicle, went into the median, through the cable barrier and struck the bridge pillar.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Copyright 2024 KTTC. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Updating Iowa State rankings in college football polls ahead of UCF matchup
Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell praises linebackers’ efforts
It hasn’t been easy for Iowa State’s linebackers, who have been hurt by injuries, but players continue to step up for the Cyclones.
The latest college football polls have been released, and Iowa State keeps moving up.
Iowa State improved to 6-0 after beating West Virginia 28-16 on Saturday in Morgantown.
The Cyclones are now set for a matchup at home vs. UCF on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Iowa State rankings update
Where did Iowa State land?
On Sunday, Iowa State checked in at No. 12 in USATODAY US LBM coaches poll. Previously, the Cyclones were No. 13.
Iowa State climbed up to No. 9 in the newest AP Top 25 college football poll. Last week, the Cyclones were No. 11.
US LBM Coaches Poll
Here is a look at the new US LBM college football coaches poll top 25.
- Texas
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Miami (Fla.)
- Alabama
- LSU
- Clemson
- Tennessee
- Notre Dame
- Iowa State
- BYU
- Texas A&M
- Ole Miss
- Missouri
- Kansas State
- Indiana
- Boise State
- Pittsburgh
- Illinois
- Michigan
- SMU
- Army West Point
- Nebraska
Schools Dropped Out
No. 16 Oklahoma; No. 17 Utah
Others Receiving Votes
Oklahoma 81; Arizona State 49; Navy 37; Utah 31; Vanderbilt 26; Syracuse 13; UNLV 12; Iowa 12; Texas Tech 9; Liberty 9; Washington State 8; Memphis 4; Louisville 4; James Madison 3; Tulane 2
AP Poll
Here is a look at the new Associated Press college football poll top 25
- Texas
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Miami (Fla.)
- Alabama
- LSU
- Iowa State
- Clemson
- Tennessee
- Notre Dame
- BYU
- Texas A&M
- Boise State
- Indiana
- Kansas State
- Ole Miss
- Missouri
- PIttsburgh
- SMU
- Illinois
- Army West Point
- Michigan
- Navy
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:
Vanderbilt 68, Nebraska 62, Arizona St. 39, Oklahoma 36, Washington St. 32, Iowa 29, Texas Tech 18, Syracuse 13, Arkansas 13, Utah 7, Louisville 6, Southern Cal 5, Liberty 2, UNLV 1.
Reach Eugene Rapay at erapay@gannett.com and follow him on X/Twitter @erapay5.
Iowa
Becht, Hansen lead No. 11 Iowa State over West Virginia 28-16 for first 6-0 start since 1938
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht believes the Cyclones have yet to hit their peak during their best start in 86 years.
Carson Hansen rushed for three scores, Becht threw a touchdown pass and No. 11 Iowa State beat West Virginia 28-16 on Saturday night.
The Cyclones (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) opened the season with six wins for the first time since 1938.
“I feel like we haven’t even played our best game yet as a whole — special teams, defense, and offense,” Becht said. The goal is “finding ways to get better each and every single week, and our mindset is just 0-0 and trying to win that next game.”
Iowa State forged a first-place tie in the league with BYU and idle Texas Tech.
The Cyclones broke open a close game by scoring two touchdowns after intercepting West Virginia’s Garrett Greene in the second half.
Becht found Eli Green on passes of 12 and 34 yards on consecutive plays to set up the Cyclones at the West Virginia 17. A third-down holding call on West Virginia cornerback Ayden Garnes gave Iowa State first-and-goal at the 3, and Hansen scored on the next play for a 21-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Jontez Williams made his third interception of the season on West Virginia’s next drive, and Iowa State took over at the Mountaineers’ 34. Hansen ran for 20 yards on the ensuing drive, capped by his 2-yard scoring run for a 28-10 lead with 4:42 left.
Hansen, a sophomore who also scored on an 11-yard run in the second quarter, finished with 96 rushing yards, one shy of the career high he set last week against Baylor. He ran for a total of 67 yards during an injury-filled freshman season.
“For him to consistently play the way he has the last couple of weeks, it’s awesome to watch,” Becht said.
West Virginia (3-3, 2-1) was held to 148 rushing yards against the league’s top defense after amassing 389 yards on the ground a week ago at Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers were hurt by several high snaps that threw off their timing and runs parallel to the line of scrimmage that lost yardage.
“In the second half, when it was winning time, we didn’t win,” said West Virginia coach Neal Brown. “We struggled to get into a rhythm.”
Becht completed 18 of 26 passes for 265 yards, including a 60-yard scoring toss to Jaylin Noel in blown coverage in the second quarter.
Becht’s father, Anthony, was honored on the field after the first quarter for his induction into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He played tight end for the Mountaineers from 1996-99 and 11 seasons in the NFL.
“You couldn’t ask for a greater night for his family,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said.
Rocco Becht said he wished he could have been there with his dad, “but I had bigger things going on trying to win this game.”
Jahiem White had an 8-yard scoring run and a 10-yard TD catch for West Virginia. Greene finished 18 of 32 for 206 yards.
Iowa State: The Cyclones answered the challenge on both sides of the ball in winning their seventh straight road game. Becht played smart and efficient, and the nation’s sixth-best scoring defense was stout again.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers many too many mistakes at key times and now have lost eight consecutive games to ranked opponents.
Iowa State might have a tough time moving up when the AP poll comes out on Sunday. The Cyclones were tied at No. 11 with Notre Dame, which beat Stanford 49-7.
Iowa State: Hosts UCF on Saturday night.
West Virginia: Hosts No. 18 Kansas State on Saturday night.
___ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
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