Takeaways from the Iowa Republican caucuses

Donald Trump demonstrated Monday night that it’s still his Republican Party.

The former president won the Iowa Republican caucuses by an unprecedented margin, kickstarting his bid to win his party’s third consecutive presidential nomination. He did so despite skipping the GOP primary debates and eschewing the retail politicking grind typically demanded by Hawkeye State voters.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis edged out former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for a distant second-place finish — though the nominating contest now shifts to New Hampshire, where polls show Haley in a much stronger position in next week’s primary.

The results in Iowa demonstrated how devoted Republicans remain to Trump amid his highly unusual campaign — one being waged between court appearances as he battles four indictments, including charges tied to his efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election.

Here are six takeaways from the Iowa GOP caucuses:

As he celebrated his historic victory Monday night in Des Moines, Trump scrapped his usual nicknames and insults for his Republican rivals. He congratulated DeSantis, Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy for their performances and described all three as “very smart people, very capable people.”

But his message to his primary opponents couldn’t have been clearer: It’s time to get out and get on board.

“It’s just so important, and I want to make that a very big part of our message: We’re going to come together. It’s going to happen soon, too,” Trump said.

Already the Republican field has further narrowed: Ramaswamy, who finished fourth Monday night, ended his campaign and immediately endorsed the former president.

… But Trump is well ahead of the rest.

With the former president topping…