Trump Lashes Out at GOP Governor

On Monday, President Trump criticized Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds for not endorsing him and said that he does not invite her to events. During his recent visit to Iowa, Reynolds did not attend, and her representative reportedly stated that she was not invited. While Reynolds has expressed admiration for the potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, she has not made any endorsements yet.

“I’m not going to tell Iowans what to do,” Reynolds said of the 2024 campaign. “They’re very good at this process. They’re sizing up the candidate.”

“I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to events!”

Reynolds became governor after Governor Terry Branstad was appointed as Ambassador to China by Trump in 2017.

“There is no politician in Iowa with greater sway than Ms. Reynolds, 63, who has overseen her party’s swelling state legislative majorities with an approval rating among Republicans near 90 percent,” The New York Times noted.

Reynolds secured her second term as governor in 2022 with an overwhelming victory. Trump addressed Reynolds’ first victory in 2018 during a speech he gave in Iowa in June, saying, “I hate to say it, but without me, you know, she was not going to win, you know that, right?” Reynolds reacted angrily to his remark and called it inaccurate, according to a report in The New York Times.

The federal indictment of President Trump, however, “represents a grave warning sign for the state of equal justice and public trust in government institutions in this country,” said Reynolds after Trump was indicted by the Biden DOJ last month. Reynolds also claimed that “the weaponization of the Justice Department will diminish Americans’ confidence in law enforcement institutions for decades to come.”

Reynolds has been complimentary of DeSantis in recent weeks, saying, “He proudly signed a law that makes it illegal to stop a baby’s beating heart — the same heartbeat bill that I was proud to sign.” Reynolds conducted a public interview with Casey DeSantis last Thursday as she introduced her nationwide “Mamas for DeSantis” campaign.