CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) – The packed field of Democratic presidential candidates descended Friday night on a small, northern Iowa town, delighting a raucous crowd of voters by largely attacking President Donald Trump rather than each other.
Some of the loudest applause at the Wing Ding fundraiser came for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who tailored her message to her rural surroundings, saying she’d stand up for small farmers against “big ag” interests.
“Trade war by tweet is not working for our farmers,” she said of Trump’s using Twitter to announce tariffs on China, which has stung international markets. “I promise you this, when I’m president, when I negotiate a trade deal there will be independent farmers at the table.”
Also energizing the crowd was Mayor Pete Buttigeig of South Bend, Indiana, who accused the president of “coddling white nationalism” and mocked Trump’s background in television, saying he wasn’t sure if its current occupant had turned the White House into a “reality show” or a “horror show.”
Democratic presidential candidate South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks at the Iowa Democratic Wing Ding at the Surf Ballroom, Friday, Aug. 9, 2019, in Clear Lake, Iowa. (AP Photo/John Locher)“What we’re going to do is pick up the remote and change the channel,” Buttigeig, the youngest presidential candidate, proclaimed to sustained cheers.