Brianne Pfannenstiel, William Petroski, and Jeff Charis-Carlson

Des Moines Register

DAVENPORT, Ia. — Some of Iowa’s top Republicans gave a full-throated endorsement of Donald Trump at two campaign stops in eastern Iowa on Thursday, just a day after he drew intense criticism from Democrats for inviting Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails.

Trump did not reiterate those controversial remarks at boisterous campaign events in Davenport and Cedar Rapids. But he repeated his belief that other nations should pay more to be part of NATO and kept up his monthslong attack on the Obama administration's Iran nuclear deal.

Democrats at their convention in Philadelphia spent much of Wednesday and Thursday nights ripping Trump's national security credentials. But several top Iowa Republicans turned out Thursday in a show of strength to shower praise on Trump for his straight talk.

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, Gov. Terry Branstad and Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann introduced Trump, who was back in the state for the first time since officially securing his party’s nomination last week in Cleveland. But Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the senior member of the state's congressional delegation and a candidate for re-election, was not present at either of Trump's Iowa campaign stops, reportedly because he was tied up on other matters.

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Branstad told a crowd of about 2,400 in Davenport's Adler Theatre that Trump's approach reminds him a little bit of President Harry Truman, a Democrat. “When Harry Truman was running for president, they always used to say, ‘Give 'em hell, Harry.’ And he said, ‘I just tell it like it is, and they think it’s hell.’ And that’s the way it is with Donald Trump. He just tells the truth.”

In Cedar Rapids, where fire officials estimated the audience at 3,000, Ernst belittled Clinton, a former secretary of state and the first woman to be nominated by a major party for the nation's presidency, as someone who has failed members of its military. "I tell you, she is not fit to serve as our commander in chief," Ernst said as the crowd jeered Clinton.

At a Wednesday news conference in Florida, Trump looked into television cameras and said, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”

Those comments followed his recent suggestion that the United States might not come to the aid of fellow NATO countries unless they’ve paid their bills.

Trump has begun walking back his comments about Russia, calling them a joke in an interview with CNN. But he reiterated Thursday his desire to see other NATO nations pay more to be part of the alliance, saying that the United States picks up 73 percent of the cost.

“And what are we doing? We’re protecting them,” he said. “We’re protecting them. It’s got to change.”

(After his Davenport speech, The Associated Press reported in a fact check that the U.S. picks up just over 22 percent of the cost of NATO operations, based on last year's figures. Trump's figure of 73 percent is based on the U.S. share of overall military spending by NATO member countries, not on the money devoted to the alliance. NATO asks member nations to spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. Of the 28 NATO nations, only five — the U.S., Britain, Estonia, Greece and Poland — meet or exceed that percentage.)

Trump said that if the United States could get along with nations like Russia, the countries might be able to work together to fight terror and take out Islamic State.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we actually got along with Russia? Wouldn’t it be nice?” he said. “And then we say let’s go get ISIS. ... And we’re going to get other countries to pay for it."

His recent comments about Russia and NATO drew sharp criticism from some independents and Republicans as well as Democrats. A spokesman for U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan called Russia “a global menace led by a devious thug,” and urged the country to stay out of U.S. elections.

“I think it shows that he’s not ready,” Clinton campaign deputy communications director Christina Reynolds said Thursday. “I think in the simplest terms, as Jake Sullivan, our senior policy adviser, put it, this isn’t a campaign issue. This is a national security issue.”

But several Iowans attending the Davenport event said they’re not bothered by Trump's comments.

“He was joking! That was a joke,” Alice Paulsen, a 66-year-old Davenport resident, said of Trump's statement on Russia. And on NATO: "I’m more worried right now about the United States. And when he gets in, I’m sure he’ll have advisers who can work with him.”

The audience was on its feet throughout most of Trump’s Davenport speech, enthusiastically expressing its support. A handful of protesters gathered outside the event, holding signs, such as one that read, "We must not let Donald Trump acquire nuclear weapons!" But their presence was dwarfed by those who came to cheer on the candidate.

Iowa is expected to be a battleground state in November, and a strong performance in eastern Iowa cities like Davenport and Cedar Rapids could help swing the state for either Trump or Clinton, strategists say.

The region is home to major population centers but is less ardently Republican or Democratic than other parts of the state.

In February’s Republican caucuses, Scott and Johnson counties went for former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. And in Linn County, which is home to Cedar Rapids, Trump came in a distant third behind Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Most people interviewed in Davenport on Thursday said they were either solidly for or against Trump. But a few said they had not yet made up their minds.



Lori Parcel, of Davenport, said she came because her 13-year-old son, Adam, is a big supporter of Trump.



"Actually, I haven't decided yet, but I know how much (Adam) cares for him and believes in what he says that I thought it would be good for me, personally, to hear from him to see if I'm going to go in that direction or not," she said.

Later, before Trump’s Cedar Rapids event, supporters and protesters vied for attention outside the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel convention complex downtown.

Hundreds of Trump backers enthusiastically shouted in unison, “Hillary lies,” and “Lock her up. Lock her up,” as they were led by Travis Klinefelter, 38, a Dubuque nurse.

Meanwhile, about 100 of Trump’s critics stood across the street chanting “Love Trumps hate” while toting protest signs such as “Trump can’t bully unions” and “Gay lives matter.” Bob Houlahan, 69, of Cedar Rapids, a Marine Corps combat veteran of the Vietnam War in 1968-69, carried a placard that read, “Trump is a draft dodger.” It was a reference to Trump’s lack of military service during the Vietnam War, when he received student and medical deferments rather than being drafted.

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In Davenport, Iowa GOP Chairman Kaufmann welcomed undecided voters or Democrats who feel alienated by the Clinton campaign into the Republican Party.

“Let’s be for Donald Trump, not just against Hillary,” he told the crowd.

Trump mostly managed to hold off on attacking his critics, though he said, "I was going to hit a number of those speakers so hard their heads would spin. They’d never recover."

Although members of the Davenport audience called for him to name names, Trump generally held himself in check. He did slip in a criticism of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, calling him "the worst mayor in the history of the city," and spoke of a governor who has urged him to focus his attacks on Clinton.

At the end of the event, Trump thanked Iowans who handed him a second-place victory on caucus night in February, behind Cruz. He pledged to ensure that Iowa would remain the first-in-the-nation caucus state, though conceding, "I’m not in love with the caucus system, by the way, I have to tell you."