Former President Trump said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) is the “least popular” governor in the nation during a rally in the state ahead of the caucuses slated for Monday.
“So I don’t blame her for then picking somebody because we wouldn’t let her go to any rallies or anything. But here’s the thing I’m most proud of: She went from the most popular governor in the United States in two weeks to the least popular governor. She’s the least popular governor in the United States. But I just thought it was very disloyal,” Trump said at his rally in Indianola, Iowa.
Trump criticized Reynolds for being “disloyal” to him after his endorsement of her for governor “saved” her campaign. He said he would not let her campaign with him in the 2024 primary campaign after she told him she wanted to remain “neutral” and campaign alongside all the GOP presidential candidates in the state.
“I ended up doing two rallies and giving her a very big endorsement, and she ended up beating a very rich, I don’t know who this guy is. All they said is he’s a rich, very good looking farmer. Well, those are good credentials for Iowa right: rich, good looking farmer. And he was going to win. And I came in, I saved her,” the former president said.
Trump’s criticism comes on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, where he remains the clear front-runner. Reynolds endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP primary in November and has frequently appeared on the campaign trail with him since.
Trump previously called Reynolds “disloyal” over her endorsement of DeSantis, who remains trailing behind Trump in the polls. A new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll shows DeSantis at 16 percent support, while Trump has support from 48 percent of likely GOP caucusgoers.