Donald and Kim are spending the holidays in Splitsville.
First, Gov. Kim Reynolds said she would remain neutral in the Republican race to win Iowa’s presidential caucuses. That ticked off former president and GOP front-runner Donald Trump, whom Reynolds had staunchly supported throughout his presidency and aftermath. In no state did top Republicans embrace Trumpism more tightly than in Iowa.
Trump insisted without him, Reynolds wouldn’t have been elected governor.
Then, earlier this month, Reynolds threw off the shackles of neutrality and endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Reynolds and DeSantis have been pals for a while now. He bans books, she bans books. He sanctions LGBTQ discrimination, Reynolds bullies transgender kids. DeSantis spends public money on private schools, she gives hundreds of millions of public dollars to private, mostly religious, schools.
Iowa is the Florida of the north. No, Florida is the Iowa of the southeast.
Trump, of course, is furious.
“Kim Reynolds of Iowa has gone from a popular governor to the most unpopular governor in the entire United States of America. Not an easy feat,” Trump said in a video released Tuesday. “Her endorsement of Ron DeSanctimonious who is 50 points down to me in the polls has given him exactly zero bounce.
“He’s a wounded bird falling from the sky. I wonder what position Kim was promised in order to back someone who is so far down in the polls,” Trump said.
Reynolds shot back with a post on X, formerly Twitter.
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“It’s not about me. It’s about our country,” Reynolds said. “@RonDeSantis follows through on his promises, can serve 8 years and has a WINNING record. If you like what we are doing in Iowa, you’ll love what he’ll do for this country.”
It could be argued Reynolds was elected in 2018 despite Trump’s unpopularity, which led to a good election for Democrats. It’s also unlikely Reynolds is the most unpopular governor in the country, although a Morning Consult poll a few weeks ago showed her disapproval rating at 47%, the highest among all governors.
We could do a deep dive into Trump’s dishonest claims, but the guy lies so often, why bother?
And, besides, until now, Trump’s prevarications were just fine with Reynolds and other Iowa Republicans. If Reynolds really cares “about our country,” why did she shrug off the Capitol riot, stand on stages smiling while he lied about a stolen election and backed him even as indictments piled up?
“You know, we have to stop pointing fingers, and we need to move forward,” Reynolds said the day after Trump supporters invaded the Capitol.
She spent October 2020 ceaselessly campaigning for Trump and other Republicans, even as a COVID surge that would kill hundreds of Iowans was ramping up. She was honored to receive Trump’s endorsement in 2022.
Reynolds and Iowa Republicans did more than their fair share of work propping up this unfit con man and making him president. Now the monster is turning on them and they’re crying foul. They didn’t give a hoot about Trump’s recklessness until he turned on Reynolds. Tough darts.
Can DeSantis close the wide Trump victory gap in the 50 days before Republicans caucus? Why not? The political winds could shift. Aliens might invade earth. We could get hit by a comet.
But it’s almost impossible to think of anything Trump could do to turn off his base of support. His backers believe he’s the only one who can save America from what Trump calls the “vermin” who oppose him.
Reynolds and other top Iowa Republicans made sure Iowa was Trump country. Now it’s coming back to bite them. You hate to see it. But grab the popcorn anyway.
(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@gmail.com
Opinion: Now Iowa Republicans care about Trump’s lies
U.S. President Donald Trump embraces Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds during an Oct. 9, 2018, rally in Council Bluffs. The governor …
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