Maggie Haberman: DeSantis ‘Kicked Sand in the Former President’s Face’ By Barnstorming Iowa After Trump Bailed On Rally

(AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)

Maggie Haberman chronicled a big day in Iowa for as-yet undeclared presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), while former President Donald Trump bailed on a rally in Des Moines, blaming weather.

In a New York Times piece co-authored by Nicholas Nehamas, Haberman noted that the Florida governor added an unscheduled stop in Des Moines to his Iowa itinerary on Saturday after Trump cancelled.

“Mr. DeSantis — who has avoided direct conflict with Mr. Trump — essentially kicked sand in the former president’s face by coming to an area that Mr. Trump claimed to have been told was too dangerous for him to visit.” Haberman and Nehamas wrote.

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump’s campaign, told the Times that Iowa rally was sold out, but “due to the National Weather Service’s Tornado Watch in effect in Polk and surrounding counties, we were unfortunately forced to postpone the event. We will be there at the first available date.”

In announcing the cancellation, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Unfortunately, due to the Tornado Warnings in Des Moines, we are forced to cancel today’s outdoor Rally at the Lauridsen Amphitheater. Stay tuned, we will reschedule soon. Be safe out there!”

The former president even shared a video of a tornado touching down approximately 25 miles outside of Des Moines.

Yet DeSantis held his impromptu Des Moines event outdoors at a local barbecue restaurant — standing on a table to speak to a cheering crowd. According to Haberman and Nehamas, it was a sign of the Florida governor getting his mojo back.

“For the first time in months, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday showed the aggressive political instincts that his allies have long insisted he would demonstrate in a contest against former President Donald J. Trump,” Haberman and Nehamas wrote.