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Former US President Donald Trump has won an important election in the state of Iowa.

The election - known as the Iowa Caucus - is held every four years in the United States. During the caucus, people in Iowa state vote for their favourite candidate to represent their political party.

Donald Trump is a candidate for the Republican party, who he represented for four years as President from January 2017 to January 2021.

He won the Iowa Republican Caucus with 51% of the vote; his first big victory in his campaign to be the next US president.

Your US election 2020 dictionary

Who is Donald Trump?

Donald Trump is an American politician and the 45th President of the United States.

Before he became president, Trump was a very famous businessman and television personality.

During his time as president, he focused on boosting the US economy, cut taxes and tried to stop illegal immigrants coming to the US.

He had lots of controversial moments during his time in office and did things which divided opinion.

Read more: Ten huge moments in Trump's presidency

Trump refused to accept that he lost the 2020 general election to current Democrat President, Joe Biden.

A group of Trump's supporters marched in protest in the US city of Washington, and a number of the supporters rioted and broke into an important government building called the US Capitol..

This event shocked a lot of people all over the world, and many people believed Trump was partly to blame for the attack.

Donald Trump was also the first president in US history to be impeached twice.

How is a presidential nominee chosen?

The two main parties running in the US election, in this case the Democrats and the Republicans, must have a presidential nominee - someone to run for president.

There are 50 states in the United States, and every state has the opportunity to vote for their preferred presidential candidate.

There are two ways in which states and political parties choose their presidential nominees - primaries and caucuses.

Read more: How do the US presidential elections work?

What are the Iowa Caucuses and why are they important?

Most of the US states hold primaries - where voters choose their favourite candidate through secret ballots and these can be done in person or through post.

A few states, like Iowa, hold caucuses instead of primaries.

Caucuses are run by the political parties - people vote for their preferred presidential candidate in a number of ways, including secret ballots or separating into groups.

People must attend caucuses in person.

The Iowa caucus usually attracts a lot of attention because it is seen as the first big event in the US election.

Following this year's Iowa caucus for the Republic Party, Mr Trump emerged as the clear winner with 51.1% of the total vote.

110,000 people turned out to vote according to the Republican Party of Iowa. This is the lowest number of people to attend the Republican caucus in 20 years.

But the very cold weather may have put people off from turning up to vote, with temperatures reaching -24 degrees Celsius in the city of Des Moines.

What happens next?

Following his victory, Donald Trump travelled to court in New York City where he is facing criminal charges.

After court, he will head to the state of New Hampshire to continue his campaign. They will be holding their primaries next Tuesday.

Currently Mr Trump is facing a number of criminal charges that he must defend himself against this year alongside his bid to be the Republican candidate president in the November election.

Mr Trump is not allowed to run for president in two states - Colorado and Maine - but there is a chance these rulings will be overturned and he could be allowed to appear on the ballot paper for these states still.