The team of Truman State student journalists started their day with a quick bite to eat at the hotel before braving the negative temperatures in Iowa. To make up for lost time because of the weather, they headed straight to an 8 a.m. rally for Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, founder of a pharmaceutical company and the youngest candidate in the race. At the Machine Shed, a restaurant often used for these rallies, some of Ramaswamy’s supporters gathered to hear him speak in Des Moines.
Ramaswamy gave a brief speech, answered a few questions and then was off to his next destination on the caucus tour. His speech was filled with mentions of his religious beliefs and calls for America to return to its “1776 ideals.” After speaking with some of the supporters, the team moved to the media center in downtown Des Moines. The students got to look closer at the media frenzy that overwhelms Iowa every four years.
After a quick lunch and a much-needed caffeine boost, the students headed to a rally featuring Donald Trump Jr. However, Trump’s flight was delayed, so they couldn’t see the speech, but there was plenty of time for interviewing the Trump supporters and media present. The group noticed a large number of high school students present to observe and some even to show support.
To end the day, the class split to cover two different caucus events, one with about 20 participants and one with nearly 200. Both were in middle school buildings. Witnessing this extraordinary demonstration of democracy was a treat for the budding journalists.