Front-runners Clinton, Trump descend on Iowa State Fair

That's as close as Clinton and Trump's massive entourages came at the state fair, a rite of passage for any presidential candidate. The respective Democratic and Republican front-runners each drew large crowds of gawkers as Clinton sampled a pork chop on a stick and Trump gave rides to children on his helicopter emblazoned with his famous last name.

The state fair – which draws around 90,000 people daily during its 11-day run every summer – has become a crucial proving ground for candidates because the Midwestern state holds the first party nominating contests in the 2016 campaign for the White House. The event offers presidential candidates the perfect opportunity to meet potential supporters for Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Almost all candidates are expected to attend. Most spend 20 minutes at The Des Moines Register's "soapbox" to deliver a brief speech and take questions. Nearly all pay respects to the famed "butter cow" sculpture. Various foods are served on sticks.

Both Trump and Clinton avoided getting up on the "soapbox," a place where a candidate can be cheered or jeered, depending on the mood of the crowd and whether supporters or opponents are on hand. In 2011, Republican candidate Mitt Romney declared from the soapbox that "corporations are people, my friend," a line that dogged the former private equity executive.

The front-runners weren't the only ones seeking Iowans' support. Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has become Clinton's chief rival and has drawn tens of thousands to his rallies, pitched his policies to counter economic inequality from the soapbox. Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, another Democrat, told voters from the soapbox that the main justification for the Iraq War was "all a hoax." Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a Republican, donned a red embroidered apron to flip pork burgers over sizzling grills.

When a helicopter flew overhead during Sanders' speech, he was quick with a joke. "There's Donald Trump. What can we do?" Sanders said. "I apologize. We left the helicopter at home."

In the Agriculture Building, Clinton walked past plates of carrots, beets and large cabbages and peered at a pair of the fair's famous butter statues — a cow and a tribute to the board game Monopoly. As she walked around the building, children sat on their parents' shoulders, and people cheered from the rafters above the expo.

Trump took questions from reporters before he came to the fairgrounds and aimed barbs at fellow candidates while touting his place atop the Republican polls. He said he was rejecting campaign contributions and was prepared to spend up to $1 billion on his campaign.

Trump has been criticized for not detailing his policy positions, but on Saturday he said he would soon release a policy paper on immigration.

"You are going to love me in terms of immigration and illegal immigration. We're building a wall. Nobody is going through my wall. Trump builds walls, I build walls. We're building a wall. It's going to be strong, it's going to be solid, it's going to be policed," he said.

He added: "We're going to have a big door for people to come in legally. We're going to have a big, beautiful door for people to come in legally."

Trump also said that, so far, he has not made any political missteps.

"Every time somebody said I made a mistake, they do the polls and my numbers go up," he said. "I don't think I've made any mistakes. I'm sure I will at some point. But so far you have to say, hasn't worked out badly, right?"

During his time at the fair, Trump inched through the main concourse. "We're going to straighten out this mess," he called out to the crowd at one point. People pushed aggressively to reach out to Trump. At one point, a man yelled, "Biggest crowd ever is for you!"

After sampling a pork chop on a stick, Trump hopped on a golf cart and was driven away. People chased him on foot, cheering.

Wire services