Trump, DeSantis and other Republican rivals to share Iowa stage

Republican presidential hopefuls will share a stage for the first time in the 2024 White House race at an Iowa campaign event.

Chief rivals Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis will headline the fundraiser at a state Republican party fundraiser.

Mr Trump and a dozen other candidates will each have 10 minutes to speak to 1,200 attendees at the Lincoln Dinner.

Polls show Mr Trump holds a solid lead over his Republican rivals even as his legal woes mount.

According to a FiveThirtyEight opinion polling average, Mr Trump was on 52.4%, Florida Governor DeSantis on 15.5% and everyone else was under 10% in the Republican race.

Friday's fundraiser comes a day after new charges were filed against Mr Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified files.

He is expecting soon to be charged in Washington with alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. He has denied all allegations against him.

Iowa is the first state where voters will in January begin the state-by-state process of whittling down the field of presidential candidates until one from each main party remains to compete in the November 2024 election.

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice-President Mike Pence are also scheduled to attend Friday's event.

Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor, is skipping the fundraiser as his campaign focuses on New Hampshire.

Mr DeSantis has been in Iowa since Thursday. He has pledged eventually to visit all of Iowa's 99 counties as he seeks to boost his rankings in the state and nationally.

The Florida governor has faced criticism - including from within Republican ranks - over new education standards passed for middle schools in his state.

A line in the 200-page curriculum, saying that slaves learned useful skills that "could be applied to their personal benefit", has generated controversy.

Mr Scott, one of three black Republican presidential 2024 candidates, told reporters on Thursday: "What slavery was really about was separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating."

"So I would hope that every person in our country - and certainly running for president - would appreciate that."

Local opinion polls in Iowa indicate Mr Scott may be gaining momentum.

Mr Trump recently lost a supporter in the key state of Iowa owing to a political spat.

An Iowa state senator, previously a Trump supporter, has decided to back Mr DeSantis just days after Mr Trump criticised Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds for remaining neutral in the 2024 race.

"How many times have we gritted our teeth and shook our heads at some of the things that the former president has said?" Jeff Reichman told NPR.