Trump quickly secures victory in Iowa, others battle for second in first GOP presidential nominating election

close Video Mike Huckabee: Iowa caucuses tell you who will not be president Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tells 'The Ingraham Angle' how the Iowa caucuses could shape the 2024 presidential election. DES MOINES, Iowa – Former President Donald Trump cruised to an easy victory on Monday night in the Iowa caucuses, the lead off contest in the 2024 Republican presidential nominating calendar.

The Fox News Decision Desk made call for Trump at 8:31pm ET, a half an hour after the caucuses got underway across the Hawkeye State. The former president's lightning fast win in Iowa gives him an early victory in his bid to return to the White House. Trump made history last year as the first former or current president to be indicted for a crime, but his four indictments, including charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss, have only fueled his support among Republican voters.

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE IOWA CAUCUS UPDATES FROM FOX NEWS Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Trump, who narrowly lost the 2016 Iowa caucuses to Sen.

Ted Cruz of Texas, assembled a formidable get out the vote machine in the state over the past year. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The big questions as Monday night unfolds is whether Trump will capture a majority of the vote in the caucuses, or top the largest previous margin of victory by a Republican presidential candidate in the caucuses.

It is still too early to call whether former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will win a distant second place behind Trump. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire..