The focus of the Republican Pr esident Donald Trump's record-setting# win in last night's Iowa caucuses.

AMNA NAWAZ: Trump dominated his rivals by# 30 points, winning all but one of Iowa's 99## counties.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came# in second place with 21 percent of the vote,## followed closely by former South# Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

I'm joined by Republican strategist Kevin Madden,## who advised Mitt Romney's 2008# and 2012 presidential campaigns.

Kevin, welcome back.

It's good to see you.

KEVIN MADDEN, Republican# Strate call came for former President Trump by# the Associated Press last night.

It came just a half-an-hour after those caucuses first# began.

A lot of Iowans hadn't even voted But the Associated Press put out an explanation# today.

Here's what they said.

They declared## Trump the winner of the caucuses based# on both an analysis of early returns,## as well as their AP VoteCast, which# is a survey of voters who planned## to caucus.

Both, they say, showed# Trump with an insurmountable lead.

Kevin, they make these calls# when the math lines up.

They## have been doing it for 170 years.

Is# the criticism warranted, KEVIN MADDEN: I mean, you're right, first of all.

Every campaign I have ever worked on,# we h and you would think that campaigns would be used# to it.

But we the fact that there is a very high sense of# distrust among a lot of Republican voter and a lot of Republican campaigns, and that's# what's driving that level of consternation.

So I think they're -- we all know that the AP# has rigorous standards and rigorous protocols## with how they announce this.

But I think the media# does have to have a little bit of self-reflection## about whether or not there is a great utility# in answering or releasing the calls so early,## when you still have people voting,# especially in an age of the smartphone,## where everybody has a supercomputer# in their pocket inside these an d they're able to see that type# of information while still voting.

AMNA NAWAZ: Let's take a look at the results# from last night and He dominated pretty much every demographic# group.

In entrance polls, however,## Iowans were asked what candidate qualities were# important to them.

For people who say that they## wanted someone who -- quote -- "fights for# people like me," 82 percent of those folks## broke for Mr. Trump, 10 percent for Mr.# DeSantis, 5 percent for Vivek Ramaswamy,## who has since ended his campaign,# and 4 percent for Nikki Haley.

Why do these numbers stand out to you?

KEVIN MADDEN: Well, first of all, I think# no w is the emerging view of the world --# emerging world vie And one of the first things that# they're looking at right now is,## can somebody win in November?

And what's really# emer idea that somebody is out there fighting for# them.

And so that is a very, very, I think,## potent argument that many Republican# primary voters are seeing right now.

And it's why this air of inevitability# is kind of coasting around Trump right## now.

I think one of the other things that's very# interesting is, if you look at general elections,## many close general elections sort# of live or die on that question:## Which candidate understands or reflects# the principles of people like me?

And so I think, for a lot of the folks that are# watching this from the White House, from the## Biden campaign, they see that number as very high# and very potent with Republica it creates a very difficult general election# matchup for them on the very similar question.

AMNA NAWAZ: Let's ask -- let# me ask you then about that,## what's become the fight for Mr. DeSantis really banked it all on# Iowa.

He slightly ahead of Haley, but he# headed right to South Carolina,## to Haley's home state.

Here's part# of what he had to say in Greenville.

GOV.

RON DESANTIS (R-FL), Presidential# Candidate: She was governor here for six## years.

Can you name major achievemen AMNA NAWAZ: So, Haley, meanwhile, released# a new ad today.

We should also say she was## saying she would not participate in# the next debate unless Mr. Trump took## part.

He is not going to take part.# ABC has now canceled that debate.

But she's really presenting herself# as the alternative to Trump and to## President Biden.

Here's a clip of her new ad.

NARRATOR: Both are consumed by chaos, negativity,## and grievances of the past.

The better# choice for a better America, Nikk AMNA NAWAZ: Kevin, those are very# different messages.

They're punching## very different directions here.

How# are thos KEVIN MADDEN: Well, one of the big# challenges DeSantis ha which is focused on Nikki Haley right# now, is a very d And he's also in a state where he's almost# skipping a number of other big primary states between them there.

Not playing on the# stage in New Hampshire while everybody## else in the attention of the political# media and both other candidates is Hampshire, that does create a void,# I think, for the DeSantis campaign.

Haley has had a sort of prepackaged# strategy coming out of Iowa, which is,## no matter what, she's going to say,# this is the two-person race between## me and Donald Trump.

And she's sticking# to that stra is where I think we're going to see these# messages go from both of these campaigns.

One other thing I'd note, too, is that# Haley also believes that the best way to## make the case to a lot of Republican voters# is to show that she'd be the best candidate,## again, to take on Joe Biden in a general# election.

So that is a key component## for her message with not only voters in New# Hampshire, but all these other primary states.

You look at May -- I'm sorry -- March# 5 and March 19, where a big chunk of## delegates is going to be at stake, that's# also her message to those voters as well.

AMNA NAWAZ: In the meantime, the GOP# field has tightened even furthe even since last night.

We mentioned# Vivek Ramaswamy has ended hi So has Asa Hutchinson.

But there's still no# consolidation around a single I want to share with you what# the editor is at "The National## Review" wrote overnight.

They said:# bu t if the Iowa results are any# indication, perhaps not for very long."

Kevin, has that window to consolidate# around someone else, has it closed?

KEVIN MADDEN: I think it's still open, but# everybody's certainly running out of time.

I mean,## we're talking about 1 percent of the delegates# that are at stake were waged last night.

But there is a very real sense of inevitability# here.

And if you look at the picture of what## base -- GOP base voters were saying in Iowa,# as a precursor for what we're going to see## from GOP base voters elsewhere, it paints a# very compelling argument that the party and## many of its base voters are coming to terms with# the idea that Trump is going to be their nominee.

Inevitability, I think, for# Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis,## that's a very, very tough# message to fight against.

They have their work cut out for them.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, Kevin KEVIN MADDEN: Great to be with you.