麻豆约拍

Donald Trump has secured the lead in the Republican race for the White House by winning the first of the US presidential election campaigns, making good on opinion polls that revealed the largest ever recorded lead at this stage in the primaries. Mr Trump secured about half of the 100,000 Republican party members in the US state of Iowa braved the freezing cold to vote in person.

The former president is projected to have beaten his rivals by a wide margin, with votes continuing to be counted. The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, is projected to have come second with about 21% of votes, just ahead of the former US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley.

麻豆约拍 Newsday heard from Mary Weston, the chair of Young Republicans in Iowa why Mr Trump appeals to her.

"He speaks very well when he gets up on stage. You just find yourself in awe of how he carries himself. He stands up for what he believes in."

"I also think as soon as someone tells you not to do something or not support someone that's exactly what you're gonna do and I think all the allegations against Trump [made many] in the Republican party and the base want to fight for him to prove to the Democrats we're still going to support him."

(Pic: Donald Trump in the US state of Iowa; Credit: Reuters)

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