Former President Donald Trump slammed Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday for abstaining from endorsing a GOP presidential primary candidate in 2024.
Reynolds has pledged to “remain neutral” in the primaries, as the Iowa caucus will play the first role in the 2024 season, and continues to host a litany of presidential hopefuls for events in Iowa. Trump took offense to Reynolds’ unwillingness to throw her support behind the former president, and argued she owes him her governorship, according to a Truth Social post.
“I love Iowa, protected & expanded Ethanol, got 28 Billion Dollars from China for our great Farmers, ended the Estate (Death!) Tax on farms, made the best TRADE deals in history (USMCA, China, & many more), introduced the World to our FARMERS, & kept Iowa’s ‘First in the Nation’ status,” Trump wrote. “I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won. Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to events! DeSanctus down 45 points!”
Reynolds assumed office in 2017 after Trump appointed former Gov. Terry Branstad as the U.S. Ambassador to China. She went on to win the gubernatorial election in 2018, and secured reelection in 2022, with the former president’s endorsement in both cycles.
In 2016, Trump lost the Iowa caucus to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz by 3.3 points, but currently leads Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the state 44% to 21%, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Mamas across the nation and across party lines have finally found a fighter who will restore sanity, common sense, and truth to America. A fighter with a backbone who will relentlessly fight for family values, protect the innocence of children, and defend the rights of parents -… pic.twitter.com/CtUNF7YNI5
— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) July 8, 2023
DeSantis and his wife have frequented the key early primary state, and Casey joined Reynolds in launching the campaign’s “Mamas For DeSantis” group in Iowa last week. The couple seem to have a friendship with Reynolds, and are on a first-name basis, according to The New York Times. (RELATED: ‘Mama Bear Fascism’: Joy Reid Criticizes New DeSantis Campaign Ad, Says He’s ‘Tormenting Gay Kids’)
“[Kim Reynolds] is a strong leader who knows how to ignore the chirping and get it done. She earned a landslide re-election because she delivered big results, and she is poised to deliver even more for Iowans in the special session,” DeSantis wrote in a Tweet forwarded to the Daily Caller News Foundation upon request for comment.
Reynolds did not immediately responded to the DCNF’s request for comment.
This article has been updated with comment from the DeSantis campaign.
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