Today is the opening day of the Iowa State Fair. It is the place to be seen for political candidates, especially Republican presidential primary candidates. Biden’s two challengers, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Marianne Williamson are expected to visit, too. It’s been the thing to do since the 1970s.

Donald Trump hasn’t been spending a lot of time in Iowa but he will attend the Iowa State Fair on Saturday. His entourage of guests traveling with him that day was picked with one thing in mind – troll Ron DeSantis. His guests will be nine Florida Republican politicians who endorsed Trump over DeSantis for president. They include Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Byron Donalds, Matt Gaetz, Carlos Gimenez, Brian Mast, Cory Mills, Anna Paulina Luna, Greg Steube, and Mike Waltz. There aren’t any surprises there. It is in bad form, in my opinion, for the Congressional delegation to play Trump’s game for him but that’s their decision.

It gives off flashback vibes of when Trump invited the women who accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault and untoward behavior to a debate against Hillary in the 2016 presidential race. That was good, in my opinion, because it was Trump versus the Democrat opposition.

The question is why does Trump have such a laser focus on Ron DeSantis, especially since Trump has a substantial lead in polling over all the other candidates? DeSantis is living in Trump’s head, it appears. This troll move will be entertaining to Trump supporters and that’s what Trump is going for. That and to distract DeSantis. Trump knows that DeSantis is garnering a lot of attention in Iowa.

The Ruthless Podcast is broadcasting live from the fair. Ron and Casey DeSantis will be interviewed tonight.

Governor @RonDeSantis and I are excited to join @RuthlessPodcast in Iowa tonight. Live at 8 PM Eastern / 7 PM Central … Tune in!https://t.co/DocKsRWXkK

— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) August 10, 2023

The state fair is a chance for those candidates who haven’t qualified for the first debate to be seen by voters, especially for those who poll around the 1% mark. A visit to the fair can also backfire. The fair draws about 1 million people each year.

The hoopla around the Iowa State Fair can also have the opposite of the desired effect, leaving a stain on a candidate’s campaign. In 2011, then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney infamously said during a soapbox speech that “corporations are people” — a line that haunted him throughout his campaign as he was criticized as being out of touch with everyday Americans.

And in 2012, former President Barack Obama shut down a beer tent while mingling with voters for two hours, which the owner says cost the business thousands of dollars, according to the Des Moines Register. With chants of “four more beers” heard in the background, Obama high-fived voters gathered for him in the tent.

There are opportunities for everyone to speak.

Candidates will also participate in the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox, where 13 different candidates will speak for 20 minutes each to give their campaign pitch and answer questions from voters. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will also host her own “fair-side chats” with GOP presidential candidates throughout the 11-day fair.

DeSantis is a prime target of Trump’s during interviews and campaign stump speeches. During an interview on Newsmax on Wednesday night, Trump downplayed DeSantis’s campaign.

“He has got no personality and nothing going,” Trump added. “He’s dropped like a rock. I don’t even think he’s going to be No. 2 for long,” he added.

Is that wishful thinking from Trump? We’ll see.