In Surprise Showing, Iowa’s Senior Senator Appears at Donald Trump Rally

Updated, 8:04 p.m. | PELLA, Iowa – The 2016 presidential election just keeps surprising.

Attendees at a Donald J. Trump rally here Saturday were greeted by a unexpected guest with a familiar face: Senator Charles E. Grassley, Iowa’s senior senator and a member of Congress for over 40 years.

Mr. Grassley did not come to the event to offer an endorsement for Mr. Trump. But by merely appearing behind a podium with a “Trump” sign on it and saying that he wanted to “make America great again,” Mr. Trump’s signature phrase, the pillar of Iowa Republican politics sent a powerful message to potential caucus-goers just over a week before the Feb 1 vote.

Recognizing the energy Mr. Trump has tapped, Mr. Grassley began his remarks by saying, “I’m happy to be here with such an enthusiastic group and this candidate. And I want Mr. Trump to know I appreciate his support for me and most importantly for Iowa being first in the nation and our all-important Iowa caucuses.”

Mr. Trump, who has been leading the Republican presidential candidates in national polls, was not on stage to hear the praise. He was still en route from an earlier rally in northwest Iowa. But a few hundred Iowans in attendance and battery of cameras in the back of the auditorium were there for his appearance.

About a half-hour after Mr. Grassley’s remarks, Mr. Trump took the stage here at Central College and immediately called for the senator to come back out. When Mr. Grassley did, Mr. Trump showered him with praise.

“This is a great guy, this is a great guy,” said Mr. Trump as photographers snapped pictures of the unlikely pairing. “He’s respected by everybody.”

Mr. Grassley smiled, offered a wave to the crowd and left the stage without making any further comments.

Mr. Grassley, who was elected to the Senate when Ronald Reagan won the presidency in 1980, rarely intervenes in the state’s caucuses. But his presence here — just days after another mainstay of Iowa politics, six-term Gov. Terry E. Branstad, called for Senator Ted Cruz’s defeat in the caucuses – underscores how much establishment-aligned Republicans have come to terms with the prospect of Mr. Trump winning Iowa.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Cruz are locked in a close race here entering the final week before the caucuses. Mr. Grassley and Mr. Branstad may not want Mr. Trump to ultimately be their nominee, but their comments suggest they would prefer him over Mr. Cruz.

Mr. Branstad’s critique of Mr. Cruz was ostensibly over the Texas senator’s opposition to federal mandates for the use corn-based ethanol, a major issue for Iowa’s agriculture and renewable fuel industry.

Mr. Grassley offered no criticism of Mr. Cruz. In fact, he did not mention Mr. Cruz at all. But that Mr. Grassley would appear at a Trump rally on the same afternoon that Mr. Cruz was in Mr. Grassley’s hometown, New Hartford, Iowa, spoke for itself.

While Mr. Cruz had made his name in Washington by being an irritant to many senior Republican senators, he has sought to develop a relationship with Mr. Grassley, co-sponsoring with him a 2013 bill on guns.

Mr. Cruz’s aides, though, suggested Mr. Grassley’s appearance here did not represent a slight: The Iowa senator is to appear at a town hall with Mr. Cruz on Friday. And as images of Mr. Grassley standing at the “Trump” podium ricocheted across Twitter, an aide to Senator Marco Rubio’s campaign emailed to say: “Senator Grassley will be attending Marco’s rally in Iowa next Saturday and introducing him to caucus-goers.”

Mr. Grassley’s interest in the presidential candidates is not entirely related to his interest in shaping his party’s nominating process. He is up for re-election this fall and surely knows he will need the sort of anti-establishment voters backing Mr. Trump.