Trump easily wins the Iowa caucuses — a big first step toward a 2024 rematch with Biden

DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump has won the Iowa caucuses, NBC News projects, cementing his firm status as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.

Trump, who is aiming to be the first former president since Grover Cleveland in the 1890s to return to office after losing re-election to a second consecutive term, scored a record-breaking showing Monday in the first contest of 2024.

He will receive a majority of the vote, NBC News projects, and his final margin of victory will surpass the 13 points that Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas won by in the 1996 Republican caucuses. And Trump's commanding performance is the strongest sign yet that there is no decisive demand for an alternative as the race shifts to next week's New Hampshire primary.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, prevailed over former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in what became the more closely watched battle for second place. But there is no guarantee that such a distant finish will afford him anything resembling momentum.

"I really think this is time now for everybody, our country, to come together," Trump said Monday while addressing supporters in Des Moines. "Whether it's Republican or Democrat, or liberal or conservative,it would be so nice if we could come together."

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy — who started the race as a Trump defender arguing for a new generation of leadership but had annoyed Trump in the race's closing days with some swipes at the former president — announced he was suspending his campaign after his fourth-place finish and endorsing Trump.

Neither DeSantis nor Haley made moves to drop out, and both argued that they are leaving Iowa in a position of strength. But their showings will not immediately reshape the dynamics