In a recent statement, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis expressed his expectation that former President Donald Trump would claim that the Iowa caucuses had been “stolen” if he were to be defeated in the upcoming Republican presidential primary. Despite trailing Trump by approximately 30 points in the state, DeSantis believes that Trump will refuse to accept the results and will attempt to delegitimize the outcome. DeSantis cited Trump's past behavior, including his claims of election fraud against Ted Cruz in the 2016 Iowa caucuses and his protest against the Emmy Awards for not recognizing his show, "The Apprentice." Throughout the 2024 campaign, Trump and his supporters have continued to argue that he actually defeated President Biden in the 2020 election, a belief that has influenced a significant portion of Republican voters. A survey by The Associated Press earlier this year found that nearly 60 percent of GOP voters consider Biden's election to be illegitimate.

DeSantis, who has positioned himself as a candidate aligned with the Trump wing of the Republican Party, has found himself in a challenging position regarding the former president's claims. While he had previously set up a police unit to monitor the integrity of Florida elections and campaigned with Republicans who denied the 2020 election results, DeSantis never explicitly endorsed the theory that the election had been stolen. He repeatedly evaded questions about whether he accepted Biden's victory. However, during his presidential campaign, DeSantis has been courting voters from the Trump faction of the party, making it difficult for him to distance himself from Trump's claims. Only in August, after being pressed in an interview with NBC News, did DeSantis acknowledge that Trump had indeed lost the election and that Biden was the legitimate president.

In 2016, Trump falsely claimed to have defeated Ted Cruz in the Iowa caucuses, despite suffering a narrow defeat. DeSantis argued that Trump's repeated claims of election fraud have led voters to take him less seriously. However, the Trump campaign accused DeSantis of reciting Democrat talking points and acting as a surrogate for the party.

The Trump campaign has also accused DeSantis's team of attempting to “rig” the caucuses due to comments made by his wife, Casey DeSantis. Last week, she encouraged out-of-state supporters to participate in the caucuses, despite the fact that only Iowa residents are allowed to vote in state elections. However, she later clarified that she was asking people to volunteer for her husband rather than vote.

Despite DeSantis raising concerns about Trump's potential refusal to accept the election results, it is unlikely that Trump will lose in Iowa. Polls show that he maintains a significant lead over his primary challengers, and he also leads in New Hampshire by an average of more than 25 points. Nevertheless, DeSantis has been vocal in his criticism of Trump as the first voting contests approach. He has accused Trump of failing to deliver on campaign promises, being too old to serve as president again, and avoiding debates with his rivals for the nomination.

The endorsement of former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley by popular New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has added further complexity to the race. Sununu, who has been critical of Trump, had been considering endorsements for Haley, Chris Christie, and DeSantis. DeSantis stated that Sununu's endorsement of Haley does not change his campaign strategy in New Hampshire, as he believes Haley is an establishment candidate who may struggle in the Republican primaries.