Former President Donald Trump faced an awkward moment at Iowa GOP's Lincoln Dinner on Friday evening when the background music featured a lyric about going to prison. As Trump took the stage to the song "Only In America" by Brooks & Dunn, the lyrics blared, "one could end up going to prison, one just might be president." Social media users quickly pointed out the irony of the song choice, considering Trump's ongoing legal troubles. One Twitter user claimed that Trump's team was “furious” at Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds over the song selection, but there was no immediate response from Trump's team. The Iowa GOP, who picked the song for all candidates, did not respond to requests for comment.

Despite the awkward song choice, Trump delivered a rousing address to the crowd of more than 1,000 guests. He called Iowa a great friend of his and promised to "obliterate the deep state." Trump also addressed his legal troubles, stating that if he weren't running for president, he would have nobody coming after him. He dismissed the charges against him as political and expressed confidence in his political fortunes. Recent polls show Trump as the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, with a significant lead over his closest competitor, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Meanwhile, another Republican presidential candidate, former Texas Congressman Will Hurd, faced backlash at a campaign event in Iowa when he criticized Trump. Hurd declared that Trump was running for president "to stay out of prison" rather than to "make America great again." The crowd erupted in boos, forcing Hurd to pause his speech. He defended his remarks, saying that the truth is hard but electing Trump would mean giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House. Hurd, who launched his presidential campaign in June, has pledged to support the eventual 2024 Republican nominee but has yet to meet the qualifications to make the stage at the first debate in August.