Donald Trump, the former US president, acknowledged that he was “worried” about how the harsh winter conditions would affect his support in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, the first event that determines the Republican nominee for the White House.

Trump is still the clear favourite. In the gold standard survey by NBC News, Des Moines Register, and Mediacom Iowa on Saturday, he led Nikki Haley by almost thirty points; Ron DeSantis was in third place, and Vivek Ramaswamy was in fourth.

In a social media video, a blustery Trump was seen checking into a hotel in Des Moines, the state capital, rubbing his hair and remarking to reporters, “That’s a lot of cold weather.” Tonight is packed with meetings for us. We’re doing reasonably well. Although we have fantastic support, the world could be more excellent.

Due to heavy snow and strong winds over the weekend, Trump had to postpone three in-person rallies and instead participated in a hurriedly organized virtual campaign event. As he was being interviewed by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, audience members were wearing white caps with the words “Trump caucus captain” printed in gold.

Donald Trump, a Republican running for president, attended a virtual rally on Saturday at Hotel Fort Des Moines in Des Moines, Iowa. Image courtesy of Andrew Harnik/AP

“It’s nasty out there; I just landed on an aeroplane,” he remarked. “I’m thinking, wow, that’s blowing—you have a hard time reaching it—because it was just about 20 feet from the aeroplane to the automobile. But things are improving. I worry about that, but I’m also watching today’s newscast, and they say the Trump supporter is much more motivated and committed. They claim that Trump supporters will cross the glass to cast their ballot.

Dedicated followers of Trump frequently wait hours to get into his rallies; some even show up a day early and camp outside to get a prime spot. They have not batted an eyelid in scorching sunshine or torrential rain.

Republicans are expected to travel to their caucus sites to hear candidate pitches and cast their ballots on what is predicted to be the coldest caucus day in history, with temperatures below freezing. However, the front-runner’s lead in the polls is so significant that some voters may take his victory for granted and stay at home.

Those older or residing in rural regions, groups with Trump performing strongly, might be severely struck by the extreme freeze. According to the Politico website, his team has signed up drivers in vital areas who own four-wheel-drive vehicles to transport supporters to caucus locations.

Rivals Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley increased the heat on Saturday by hosting live events around the state. According to DeSantis’s campaign, the time and energy invested in a “ground game” will pay off.

In Des Moines, DeSantis warned fans, “It’s going to be cold.” It will not be enjoyable. However, I will fight for you as president for the next eight years if you’re prepared to put yourself out there and defend me.

Political observers will be anxiously monitoring how the weather plays out. “This would be a record cold, and that’s going to impact the oldest voters because they simply can’t go out, and the youngest voters because they don’t want to go out,” said pollster and consultant Frank Luntz. This is bad news for Donald Trump because he has the oldest voter base, and it’s terrible news for Vivek Ramaswamy because of how young his vote is. Ultimately, though, it will not affect the result.

The Republican campaign’s longstanding advisor, Luntz, stated of “Make America Great Again” supporters: “If the world ended, they would still be voting for Donald Trump.”