Donald Trump Loudly Booed and Cheered by Iowa Football Crowd

Donald Trump was met with boos and cheers at Iowa State University's annual football grudge match against the University of Iowa.

The former president watched the game in Ames with casino magnate Gary Kirke, an influential Republican donor, in a private stadium suite before leaving during the third quarter.

Trump, who continues to lead the crowded Republican field for the 2024 nomination in Iowa and nationally despite being under indictment for more than 90 felony counts, faced loud boos and some cheers when he stepped out of the suite, according to videos posted on social media.

The Des Moines Register reported that fans in the stadium had yelled Trump's name as they waited for him to come out of the suite.

Some people are reported to have booed and shouted obscenities as the former president passed, but he "drew far more eager and excited onlookers," according to the newspaper.

Several of Trump's rivals for the Republican nomination also attended the game.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who Trump views as his main challenger, sat in open seats with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Although Reynolds has not endorsed a candidate in the race, she has often appeared with DeSantis and his wife, Casey. A source familiar with the arrangements told the Register that Reynolds, a Republican, did not interact with Trump at all on Saturday.

During the game, a banner reading "Where's Melania?" was flown over the stadium.

Flyers declaring former first lady Melania Trump as "missing" were also scattered around, according to a post from ABC News' s Rachel Scott on X, formerly Twitter.

The flyers said: "Have you seen this woman? Where is our first lady? Why is Donald Trump hiding her?"

It was not clear who was behind the banner or the flyers, but Scott noted in the post that it comes weeks after the Trump campaign flew a banner over the Iowa State Fair that said: "Be Likeable, Ron!"

As The Associated Press noted, Trump has made a habit of visiting Iowa on the same day as DeSantis. But while the Florida governor says he has visited more than half of the state's 99 counties, Trump had only made six visits to Iowa this year before Saturday's game.

Nevertheless, polls show Trump remains the first choice for most Republican primary voters in the state.

A Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll last month found that 42 percent of people likely to attend the caucus in Iowa planned to support Trump. DeSantis lagged behind with 19 percent of the vote, followed by Sen. Tim Scott with 9 percent.

Newsweek has contacted the Trump and DeSantis campaigns for comment via email.