Presidential candidates meet and greet voters at Iowa State Fair

DES MOINES, Iowa -- As Hillary Rodham Clinton walked among the booths of funnel cakes and corn dogs at the Iowa State Fair, trailed by a massive pack of media and onlookers, Donald Trump's helicopter circled the fairgrounds in the air above.

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.

"Nice to be here!" Clinton said as she started an hourlong stroll across the fairgrounds. Former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who endorsed her this week and wore a straw hat to shade him from the blazing sun, accompanied her. Everywhere Clinton walked, large crowds followed her to get a photograph, a handshake or a quick hello.

Trump later made a grand entrance, landing his helicopter in athletic fields about a mile away and offering rides to children before he came onto the grounds. Almost immediately Trump was crushed by massive crowds seeking photos, handshakes and yelling encouragement. The pandemonium followed him around for roughly an hour - and during a stop for a pork chop on a stick.

"This is beyond what I expected. This is amazing," Trump said. "It's been a day of love."

Clinton and Trump weren't the only ones seeking Iowans' support. Vermont 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 Des Moines Register's "soapbox," while former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum 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."

The state fair typically draws around 90,000 people daily during its 11-day run every summer, giving presidential candidates the perfect opportunity to meet potential supporters for Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses. Barack Obama brought his kids to the bumper cars back in 2007, generating positive photographs for his campaign, while Mitt Romney ran into trouble in 2011, when he declared at the Register's soapbox that "corporations are people, my friend." It was a line that dogged the former private equity executive during his campaign.

Clinton did not appear on the soapbox. In the Agriculture Building, the former secretary of state 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.

When the pack reached Grand Avenue, the fair's main drag, Trump's helicopter buzzed overhead as Clinton walked past stands selling funnel cakes, corn brats and lemonade.

"There's Trump!" shouted one man.

Before wrapping up her visit, Clinton sampled a pork chop on a stick and a lemonade. Minutes later, she boarded a black SUV and was whisked away.

Trump did not jump upon the soapbox, but he 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. He also argued that so far, he has not made any political missteps.

"I don't think I've made mistakes. 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.