DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Donald Trump says evangelical Christians "really do get me."

He's bragging about his support from the group also pursued by rival Ted Cruz just hours before the leadoff Iowa caucuses.

Trump told a rally in Waterloo that "the evangelicals have been unbelievable to Donald Trump."

Trump spoke to a smaller-than-usual crowd at the Ramada Waterloo Hotel and Convention Center, where many seats were left unfilled. Supporters may have been dissuaded by the heavy fog that blanketed local roads all morning.

Earlier, Trump told Iowans that rival Ted Cruz "will destroy your ethanol businesses, 100 percent."

Cruz has advocated phasing out ethanol subsidies over time — a position that is deeply unpopular in the agricultural state.

More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL