DES MOINES, Iowa—Former President Donald Trump doesn’t arrive at the Iowa State Fair until Aug. 12—along with at least seven other 2024 presidential candidates—but the GOP frontrunner’s advance team and boosters were all over the sprawling midway grid and a visible presence at rivals’ stump speeches.
None of the hopefuls, however, were staging events where former Arizona gubernatorial candidate and MAGA maven Kari Lake went upon her arrival at the fair: into a steamy, scented barn to milk a cow.
An Iowa native raised on a farm, Ms. Lake made points with each pull, asking between the swish, swish, swish of freshly spurt milk if any reporters from the New York Times were around so they could see living proof “that there are only two genders.”
If this exhibition didn’t suffice, she invited anyone unsure about how many genders there are to go to the nearby bullpen “and milk a bull and see how that goes.”
Four presidential candidates were on the grounds—former Vice President Mike Pence, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Michigan businessman Perry Johnson, conservative radio host Larry Elder, Jr.—stumping at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox and joining Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for ‘Fair Side Chats.’ Texas pastor and entrepreneur Ryan Binkley was making rounds.
But it was Ms. Lake, a prospective 2024 Arizona senate candidate, and potential Trump running mate, who stole the show on the second day of the 11-day Iowa State Fair.
More than 1 million visitors and at least 13 presidential candidates are expected to prowl the 445-acre fairgrounds near the State Capitol complex east of downtown Des Moines before the fair ends Aug. 20. At least seven, including Mr. Trump, will be on scene Aug. 12.
Ms. Lake said the former president enjoys venues like the Iowa State Fair, where he plans to meet and greet folks on the midway “because he is a man of the people” rather than participate in the fair’s scheduled event. His campaign only announced he was coming on Aug. 8.
By John Haughey
