‘People just want change’: political circus at Iowa state fair can’t dispel civic discontent

Presidential aspirants make the pilgrimage to Des Moines amid a sense of America as nation sunk in a political depression

Donald Trump held aloft a pork chop on a stick. Ron DeSantis and children rode bumper cars and a ferris wheel, played carnival games and ate snow cones and ice-cream. Vivek Ramaswamy rapped Lose Yourself by Eminem, Marianne Williamson recalled her days as a cabaret singer and Mike Pence said he was hoping to renew his acquaintance with a cow called Chippy.

All the fun of the state fair in Iowa includes an agriculture and livestock show, amusement rides, every fried food imaginable and, every four years, a political circus like no other. Presidential aspirants make the pilgrimage to Des Moines to field questions from voters - including hecklers - and show their ability to speak, dress and eat like Middle America in the state that kicks off the Republican nominating contest in January.