During a series of rallies in Iowa, former President Donald Trump laid out an ambitious set of campaign promises, including resolving the Ukraine conflict and offering a novel defense strategy for the United States. At a rally on the campus of the Des Moines Area Community College, Trump promised to “build a giant dome over our country to protect us from a hostile source.” This statement, referencing advanced defense systems, drew connections to Israel’s “Iron Dome” and the “Star Wars” initiative from the Reagan era. “We do have the technology now, and we’re going to build a giant dome over our country to protect us from a hostile source. And I think it’s a great thing, and it’s going to all be made in the United States. And that’s something that I consider productive,” Trump declared. Trump also entertained the audience with a performance, complete with sound effects, to emphasize his point about the defense dome. “You know, when I watch, uh, our guys operate those things, it’s unbelievable. Missile coming in, missile coming in. These geniuses sit down. Most of them are, you know, they’re from MIT. But they sit down, bing bing bing bing, boom, ph-sheee. It’s gone. It’s amazing. I think we could use, do you like that? I mean, isn’t that better than giving other countries billions of dollars? Billions. We’re going to get billions of dollars out of the countries and so they can build a dome, but we don’t have a dome ourselves. We’re going to have the greatest dome ever.” Trump also took the opportunity to criticize his political rivals, Governor Ron DeSantis and former Ambassador Nikki Haley. He accused them of being influenced by various establishment groups: “bought and paid for by the neocons and the warmongers and the corrupt Washington establishment, the military establishment, and they’ve seen a war they didn’t like.” Trump also accusing them of favoring endless overseas conflicts. Trump assured his audience, “Under my leadership we will turn the page forever on those foolish, stupid days of never-ending wars. They never ended.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)