Former President Donald Trump denounced Republican Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on Monday for refusing to endorse a candidate in the fledgling Republican primary.
in a mail On his Truth Social platform, Trump suggested that Reynolds is tacitly endorsing DeSantis in the Republican primary, even as she remains nominally neutral.
“Opened the Governorship for Kim Reynolds, and when she fell behind, I SUPPORTED HER, did big rallies, and she won,” Trump wrote.
“Now, she wants to stay ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to events! DeSanctus is down 45 points!’ added the former president, referring to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump’s main rival in the race to win the Republican Party’s 2024 White House nomination.
Representatives for Reynolds and Trump did not immediately respond to separate requests for comment.
Iowa’s governors have long vowed to remain neutral during the closely watched state presidential primary, refusing to endorse a candidate from their party. For his part, Reynolds has swore to maintain that standard.
But Trump, in his post, suggested that Reynolds has been quietly favoring DeSantis, days after The New York Times, citing people close to Reynolds and DeSantis, reported that the two governors “forged a bond” during the height of the pandemic, and that one of Reynolds’ top advisers, Ryan Koopmans, also advises the pro-DeSantis super PAC.
The closeness of Reynolds and DeSantis “has been the subject of internal Trump campaign discussions,” according to The Times report.
The former president hinted in his Truth Social post that he also believes Reynolds owes him more loyalty because of his previous endorsements.
During a campaign event in Iowa in June, Trump said that Reynolds would not have won her races without him: “I hate to say it, without me, you know, she wasn’t going to win, you know, right?”
As The Times noted, Reynolds won 95 of Iowa’s 99 counties.
DeSantis came to Reynolds’ defense Monday night, citing his 2022 election victory.
On twitterDeSantis called Reynolds “a strong leader who knows how to ignore the squeaks and get it right. He got a landslide re-election because he got great results and is ready to give Iowans even more in the special session.”
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who is also running for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, tweeted a defense from Reynolds on Monday afternoon.
Reynolds also received praise from Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who tweeted: “Governor Kim Reynolds is a conservative rock star who has dedicated herself to the people of her state. As I always say, Iowa produces strong women!”
On Saturday, the Republican Party announced that it will hold its caucuses on January 15 of next year. Trump, the current GOP frontrunner, lost in Iowa in 2016, and both he and DeSantis see the race as key to building momentum for 2024.
jonathan allen, alec hernandez and greg hyatt contributed.
