‘Must be doing something right’

MARION, Iowa — Inside the snow-covered Grace Baptist Church on a shivering cold day last week, an assortment of fervent Hawkeye State Donald Trump supporters gathered to hear from former HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson.

“I’ve talked to [Trump] many times and he is a strong believer,” Carson assured the faithful at one point, before adding: “Now sometimes that might not be reflected in his speech.”

Cue peals of laughter from the pews.

It’s been eight-and-a-half years since Trump famously descended the escalator in his eponymous Manhattan tower to announce his 2016 run for the presidency.

Despite the national political soap opera that has ensued since — Russia investigation! Stormy Daniels! COVID-19! Kim Jong Un handshake! ISIS! Capitol riot! — the four pending criminal cases on 91 counts, and the desire of more than a few voters for Trump to just go away, it was crystal clear ahead of Monday night’s caucus that grassroots support for the 77-year-old would be just too much for any of his rivals to overcome, at least in the leadoff state.

For so many Republicans, Trump is still the one — a cross between their demon-slaying, lib-owning champion and their favorite child — and they accept no substitutes.

Jitters about his antics

Trump is famous for his slash-and-dash approach to politics, in which he will rhetorically carpet bomb his rivals at will, and with pleasure. His Iowa backers’ view of this trait ranges from affection to mild apprehension.

“At one point in time, I would have been personally offended by President Trump’s behavior,” Linda from Cedar Rapids told The Post at one event, declining to give her last name.

“I have a young friend who went to live in New York … very tender-hearted young lady, but she became tough as nails living in New York,” she explained.

Krystal Hedrick, from Kansas, argued that to the extent Trump sows chaos and anger among his rivals, he does so out of necessity.

“People are constantly attacking him because he must be doing something right,” she said. “I completely support him because our country, our government has been corrupted for so long.”

“Who cares what he’s tweeting about or saying, or cares about his personality?” Paula Smith, from Waukee, told The Post at a different Trump campaign event in Urbandale, adding she was more concerned about the economy and national security.

Best hope against the left

Despite the misgivings that some of Trump’s backers feel about his lack of tact, there is a palpable sense of awe and wonder at the ongoing, years-long political joyride.

One thing about Trump’s campaigns hasn’t changed in eight-and-a-half years: His rallies remain high-energy spectacles where attendees don’t often know what will happen next.

They do know, however, that they are angry.

“I’m sick and tired of all the lying and stealing and cheating the Democrats have done over the last four years,” said Jill Rowell, 60, from Springfield.

Turning to Trump’s legal challenges, Rowell raged: “It’s all fake. Everything the Democrats are guilty of, they flip it and turn it around and say, ‘Trump did it.’

“All the attacks they’ve put on him has only made me like him more because he keeps in the fight.”

Trump’s policies

When asked why they are backing Trump in 2024, many of his supporters will tick through a laundry list of policy concerns.

“The border’s in chaos, the economy is not thriving, and America is put last. We’re seeing firsthand — we’re gonna be on the brink of WWIII if Joe Biden is given four more years,” said Gage West, 23, a Lynn County caucus captain said.

“The economy was so good when he was in and we felt safe,” Paula Smith contended. “You want your president to look strong and powerful to other countries because then we don’t have wars.”

“He’s proven himself. He’s done this. He’s done the things that he said he would do,” agreed Kim Marsh, 68, a Trump caucus captain from Grimes. “I don’t know any president that’s ever followed through with more than what President Trump has.”

There is a Republican primary contest underway right now in which numerous candidates have vowed to deliver nearly identical policies to the ones Trump has pitched.

Yet those pledges are falling largely on deaf ears.

“I don’t even pay attention to them at all,” Marsh said.

Deficits and Dr. Fauci

Under Trump’s watch, conservatives took issue with Dr. Anthony Fauci taking a lead role in the COVID-19 response, a monster $7.8 trillion deficit, and the Black Lives Matter riots in the summer of 2020.

Yet for his backers, none of that represents a deal-breaker.

“I mean, obviously, a lot of it was his fault. He had something to do with it,” Alex Thompson, 23, from Des Moines said about the former president’s handling of the pandemic.

However, Thompson added that a lot was also out of Trump’s control as well and he still represented the best choice of the GOP bunch.

“President Trump was under pressure at that time to make decisions,” said Denise Nelson, 71, from Norwalk. “And it’s hard to make wise decisions when you’re under pressure.”

Nelson, who doled out Trump memorabilia during his rally in Indianola Sunday, believed that Trump was simply “trying to hear different people” when he retained Fauci, whom she criticized for championing onerous pandemic suppression measures.

“Trump was handcuffed. If he got rid of Dr. Fauci at that time, it would’ve been a lose-lose situation,” argued Jesse Stumbaugh, a small business owners from Des Moines.

Trump’s Republican rivals, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley have all tried to remind voters of these issues, including the deficit.

“Who controls the deficit?” asked Gail Kirst, 73, from Des Moines, referring to Congress.

“He’s a businessman and he understands debt to income ratios,” Stumbaugh said about the deficit, which he blamed on the pandemic. “He was making decisions that he would have been able to correct and keep the American citizen in a good position.”

The Indictments

Perhaps the greatest political liability for Trump in the general election is the most galvanizing factor for his supporters — his litany of legal woes.

Many of his GOP primary supporters had faith that Trump would ultimately survive the efforts to boot him from the ballot or throw him behind bars. None of them believed his legal snarls were legitimate.

“If we just roll over and say, ‘Oh, this is too much of a problem,’ every single person is done. We have no country left. There’s not going to be real voting,” said Cheryl Heffernan, 63, from Altoona.

“If Trump goes off the ballot, then they’re gonna pick on Nikki or they’re gonna pick on DeSantis or they’re gonna pick on anybody,” she added. “It’s not like it’s gonna end.”

Her husband Dan, 64, described it as the “worst possible precedent you can have” to boot someone like Trump from the ballot under such circumstances.

“Here’s the real reason why I’m voting for Trump, the bottom line,” Stumbaugh said.

“If he can have the justice system come at him for Russia collusion and all these indictments — and he’s a billionaire and a former president — then how am I ever going to be able to stand up against the government if I’m ever in a situation where I’ve been wronged?”

Trump’s blowout victory in Iowa Monday evening was record-shattering. He managed to break 50% support and more than doubled the next-highest margin of victory in a modern Republican presidential caucus.

Now the 45th president is heading into New Hampshire with powerful political winds and momentum behind his back ahead of the Jan. 23 primary. More of his supporters will be waiting.