GOP candidates converge in Iowa for evangelical Christian forum that Trump skipped

Important Republican candidates come together in Iowa for a meeting with evangelical Christians. Trump did not attend this event. Three people who want to be the next President of the United States met on Friday in Iowa. They sat together and talked like a family having Thanksgiving dinner. They didn't stand behind podiums like in a big debate.

These three people are Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy who started a tech company, and Nikki Haley, who used to be the Governor of South Carolina. They talked about important things for Christians in Iowa. They were at an event called the Christian conservative Family Leader’s Thanksgiving Forum.

These three want to be chosen by the Republican Party instead of Donald Trump. They were asked about their beliefs, Israel, farming, and energy. But the main thing they talked about was abortion.

Haley, unlike many others running for President, says she doesn't support a nationwide ban on abortion. She said she strongly believes in the pro-life stance, but she knows it's hard to make a law about it with a Congress that doesn't agree.

Haley also mentioned that if she were still the Governor of South Carolina, she would approve a law banning abortion after six weeks if it came to her. This comment got a response from the Biden campaign, calling her an extreme anti-abortion person who wants to take away women's rights.

On Friday, many noticed that the main Republican candidate, Trump, wasn't there. He didn't attend even though he got invited. Instead, he planned his own event in Iowa for the next day. This has been a pattern during his campaign – skipping important meetings like debates and forums.

Back in 2015, during his first run for president, Trump also didn't join this Thanksgiving forum, and earlier this year, he avoided another event held by the same group. The head of the group has been telling other Republicans to focus on new leaders and move away from Trump.

At the meeting, the candidates were told to be polite and not attack each other. They were even asked not to use harsh words. But because Trump wasn't there, some of the other candidates used the chance to criticize him.

DeSantis, who is really trying hard to win in Iowa, said that Trump's campaign is risky and doesn't offer much reward.

"DeSantis said it might be difficult for Biden to achieve his plans because he's almost done being president and doesn't have a good team, and there are many things distracting him. DeSantis thinks his own campaign is less risky. He believes that if he runs for president, it will make Biden work hard all over the country. He promises that if he wins, he'll be president for two terms and support the values important to you for eight years.

Vander Plaats, the leader of the event, mentioned Trump not being there, saying it's like when sometimes people don't come to Thanksgiving dinner.

In a different way from the usual, Trump has made fun of other Republicans running against him and said he's more focused on facing President Joe Biden in the real election. A person helping Trump told CNN that they didn't see any good reason for Trump to debate with the other candidates at the Family Leader forum.

Even though Trump is doing well in Iowa according to polls, with 43% of likely Republican voters supporting him, Haley and DeSantis have 16% each, and Ramaswamy has 4%.

During the event, DeSantis and Ramaswamy shared personal stories. They talked about their wives having miscarriages for the first time.

Ramaswamy also talked to the Christian audience about being Hindu. He said he has values similar to Christianity but doesn't think it's right for a president to promote Christianity all over the country because he's not Christian.

Before the event, people were curious about who Vander Plaats would support. He usually supports the winner of the past Iowa caucuses when there isn't already a Republican president. He might endorse someone soon.

Vander Plaats talked about discussing support with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. She announced her support for DeSantis, which might influence Vander Plaats' choice. The DeSantis team hopes Vander Plaats will endorse him.