Ron DeSantis says 'China is laughing at us' as protesters disrupt Iowa speech

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speed-walked through the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, a mob of campaign staffers, Iowa endorsers and reporters trailing him between pork-flipping, hand-shaking and a ride on the bumper cars.

DeSantis began his state fair campaigning with Gov. Kim Reynolds at one of her "fair-side chats" at JR's SouthPork Ranch. A few protesters blew whistles as DeSantis spoke, stirring up the crowd until they were removed from the event.

Afterward, DeSantis and his family did a lap of the fairgrounds with Sen. Joni Ernst, stopping for fair games and photo opportunities. Many fairgoers called out to the governor as he walked by — some supportive, some antagonizing.

DeSantis tells fairgoers America 'is in decline' in Reynolds interview

Perched on a small stage with Reynolds, DeSantis presented a dark view of the country under President Joe Biden as he continues his 99-county tour of Iowa ahead of the January caucuses.

"I think what we're hearing is people understand that our country is in decline, and we need to reverse this decline and revive what's great about America," DeSantis said. "We need an economy where middle-class families have a chance to get ahead again. We need a secure southern border. We can't let the drug cartels keep eating our lunch. We need to ensure that we rein in this out-of-control federal bureaucracy and the weaponization of federal power. And we need to restore our military to its proper place."

More: Vivek Ramaswamy raps to Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' at Gov. Kim Reynolds' Fair-Side Chat

DeSantis also touted his leadership and policies in Florida after he was elected in 2018 and the state has taken a hard Republican turn. DeSantis, like Reynolds, put few restrictions in place through the COVID-19 pandemic and has since targeted schools and transgender minors with sweeping new laws.

"I'm not running to be somebody. I'm running to do things on behalf of the country and for the American people," DeSantis said, adding that "China is laughing at us."

A group of protesters interrupted the DeSantis event with cowbells and whistles, including former Iowa House candidate Heather Ryan, who interrupted another DeSantis event yesterday. DeSantis and Reynolds powered through over the noise.

"We're in Iowa, and in Iowa we're Iowa nice, so let's give everyone the opportunity to hear our candidates," Reynolds told the crowd.

But her pleas fell on deaf ears as the protesters continued to drown out the speakers. Physical altercations soon broke out between crowd members and the demonstrators before troopers removed two of the activists, including Ryan, from the event.

Sen. Joni Ernst joins DeSantis family for fair games, butter cow

Dozens of campaign staff, reporters and DeSantis fans followed DeSantis; his wife, Casey DeSantis; and their three kids around the fairgrounds.

DeSantis made a stop at the Iowa Pork Tent, a must-do photo opportunity for presidential hopefuls. He donned a red apron and flipped pork chops with Reynolds, Ernst, and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn. Many of DeSantis' Iowa endorsers, including Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair, stood by.

As Nunn joked with DeSantis about gator meat, a group of Donald Trump supporters steps away started a chant: "We love Trump! We love Trump!"

DeSantis staff and supporters responded with a "USA!" chant, and both chants died down after a minute. The Trump supporters cheered again when the former president's plane flew over the fairgrounds.

DeSantis told reporters he plans to "work hard" to close the polling gap between himself and Trump. His "Never Back Down" PAC has bussed DeSantis across 38 Iowa counties, and his visits have increased in frequency over the summer.

"I think Iowans want to see you. They want to be able to kick the tires, and they want to know that you'll fight for them as president," he said. "So we're showing that, and we're going to do all 99 counties, and there's no other way to do it."

Trump is the front-runner in state and national polls. He has been an infrequent visitor to Iowa this cycle, although he made a flashy visit to the Iowa State Fair on Saturday.

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her atkakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ron DeSantis gives 2024 campaign speech in Iowa as protesters tossed