Trump on Iowa’s subzero temps: ‘Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it’

Former President Trump encouraged his Iowa supporters to caucus for him at any cost, joking that due to extreme winter weather, “even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it.”

Meteorologists warned of “life-threatening” conditions in Iowa for the weekend as the state prepares to caucus. Trump canceled three of his four in-person Iowa events Sunday due to the freezing cold and snow.

Windchill is projected to be as low as -40 degrees in parts of the state Monday, with temperatures also in the negative. The Hawkeye State is also recovering from a blizzard that rocked the region Friday and Saturday, icing roads.

“You can’t sit home. If you’re sick as a dog, you say, ‘Darling, I gotta make it,’” Trump said at an Indianola rally on Sunday. “Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it, remember.”

The weather is expected to severely hamper turnout for the caucuses, but political analysts are unsure exactly how that may impact the result. Trump rivals hope the weather will depress turnout for the former president and boost their more die-hard supporters.

Trump holds a significant lead over his primary opponents. The final Des Moines Register poll, released Saturday, put Trump at 48 percent support, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley at 20 percent and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 16 percent.

The bitter cold has also impacted the rest of the Midwest and beyond, with more than 110 million people under wind chill advisories Sunday from the Rocky Mountains to New England.