Donald Trump Makes Bold Prediction About Key 2024 State

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday said there was "no way" he could lose next year's Iowa caucus, according to a reporter on the scene.

Natalie Allison, a national political reporter for Politico, shared Trump's prediction on Twitter. According to Allison, he made the comment during an appearance at one of the Westside Conservative Club's twice-monthly breakfast events, a popular stop in Iowa for GOP candidates.

Iowa has traditionally been seen as the earliest test of the presidential primary season due to it being the the first state to hold contests for Republican and Democratic candidates. Though the Democratic National Committee announced earlier this year that its party will instead kick off its 2024 primaries in South Carolina, the GOP will still hold its first presidential nominating contest of 2024 in Iowa on February 5.

According to Allison, Trump sounded confident about his chances in the state during the breakfast club meeting. He also reportedly cited a recent poll that showed him with a lead over his opponents.

"There's no way I can lose Iowa," Trump said, per Allison. "We're going to have to do some really bad things to lose at this point."

Though Allison didn't specify which poll Trump mentioned, he shared a survey on his Truth Social platform last week of likely voters in the Iowa GOP caucus. The Emerson College Poll, which polled 1,064 registered voters of both parties, found 62 percent of Republican voters said they would support Trump in the caucus.

Meanwhile, 20 percent of the GOP voters who participated in the poll chose Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who launched his presidential bid last week. (Other GOP candidates polled in the single digits.)

Newsweek reached out to representatives for Trump via email for comment.

Jay Townsend, a nonpartisan political consultant, told Newsweek he wasn't sure that the Iowa race is Trump's to lose.

"At this point, I would not predict anything. Much of the Iowa establishment is, at best, lukewarm about Trump," Townsend said. "Several are already welcoming newcomers into the race. And between now and the Iowa contests, Trump faces a plethora of bad legal news."

GOP strategist John Feehery said he feels that "if the election were held today, Trump would win, based simply on name ID."

"But there is plenty of time," Feehery told Newsweek. "It Trump does end up winning, that is no big deal, because that's where the expectations are. But if he loses, it will be a huge upset and could propel the underdog to the nomination."

Trump began stumping in Iowa this week after being forced to cancel an event in the state last month due to a tornado warning. On Thursday evening, the former president will sit for a town hall hosted by Sean Hannity that will air on Fox News.

Before Trump's arrival in Iowa, DeSantis visited the state and gave his first official campaign speech at an evangelical church in the city of Clive.

After mostly avoiding attacks Trump has directed toward him, DeSantis seemingly addressed the former president—without mentioning his name—while speaking at Clive's Eternity Church by stating he's capable of winning elections for the GOP.

"We must put an end to the culture of losing that has infected the Republican Party in recent years," DeSantis said. "We must look forward and not look backwards. We must have the courage to lead and we must have the strength to win."