After the New York Times reported over the weekend that Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds was remaining neutral in the GOP primary rather than endorse any candidate, Donald Trump decided to attack her for it.
In a scathing post on Truth Social, Trump blasted Reynolds for remaining neutral by claiming that she is only the governor of Iowa because of him.
Trump claimed he “opened up the Governor position” for Reynolds when he appointed her predecessor to an ambassadorship. He also claimed that Reynolds was “falling behind” in the 2018 election and only won after he endorsed her. Trump also boasted that he never invites Reynolds to his events in Iowa.
NBC News reported that Trump’s willingness to turn his guns on Governor Reynolds is another sign that the former president is vulnerable in the state.
Former Polk County Republican Party chairman Will Rogers told NBC News that the number of state legislators who have endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shows that Trump has not cornered the market on “institutional backing” in the state in the way he would like.
Rogers told NBC that he thinks Trump is “struggling with that.”
Rogers also lauded Governor Reynolds and Iowa’s congressional delegation for remaining neutral in the nomination fight, calling it “sound policy.”
But Trump’s attack against the popular Republican governor who won reelection by 20 points last November did not sit well among Iowa Republicans.
On Thursday, the Des Moines Register reported that Iowa State Senator Jeff Reichman changed his endorsement from Trump to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, citing Trump’s attack on Reynolds.
Reichman told the Register that Governor Reynolds has “become family,” and while Trump can be “very outspoken,” the former president’s decision to turn his attacks on Reynolds and the state of Iowa prompted him to revoke his endorsement and throw his support behind DeSantis.
