Former president Donald Trump took to Truth Social to air his grievances on Iowa Gov Kim Reynolds, pointing out how he had supported her during the 20188 gubernatorial run - crediting himself for her uprisings only for her to appear in photos with his political rivals.
In 2018, Kim Reynolds had a tough first election against prominent Des Moines businessman Fred Hubbell, appearing to trail him in the polls at times, but Trump attended a rally for Reynolds about a month before Election Day, and she eventually won by about 3 percentage points.
Trump is known for demanding loyalty from his proponents and spinning against those who fall below his expectations, especially those he purports to have helped. He also seems to accord high regard for public endorsements, even if he has to fight for it.
However, Kim Reynolds has chosen to remain neutral in the 2024 Iowa caucuses rather than supporting Trump's candidacy.
Iowa governors as always remain neutral through the Iowa caucuses, which is historically the first presidential contest every election year, and Reynolds, like several of Iowa's governors, has pledged not to support any candidate ahead of the state's first caucuses this year just to ensure that they all find an even playing field in Iowa.
In a February interview, Reynolds told the Des Moines Register, “And if I weigh in, I want to welcome everyone to this state, And if I weigh in, I don't know if they'll feel that welcome. You know, I already made it clear, I will be happy to help introduce you, help travel the state and connect in any way that I can, most importantly to make sure that if we've got big things going on that they know about it.”
According to Donald Trump's Truth Social post, He claimed to have created space for Kim Reynolds to ascend to the top job.
He wrote, "I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, I ENDORSED her when she fell behind, did big Rallies and she won. Now, she wants to remain 'NEUTRAL.' I don't invite her to events!"
However, Trump did invite Reynolds to his first event in Iowa of the 2024 cycle, where she introduced him when he spoke to supporters in a historic theater in Davenport in mid-March.
Trump claimed credit for Reynolds' political rise, including the naming of former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad as his ambassador to China in 2016, which cleared the path for Kim Reynolds, who was lieutenant governor at the time, to ascend to the top position.
Since taking office, Reynolds has seen a significant increase in her approval ratings, and many in the Republican base have come to support her. Iowa Republicans now view her as a uniquely influential figure in the state, leading some political analysts to question the wisdom of Trump's decision to attack her during such an important election year.
Reynolds was reelected in 2022 by about 19 percent and now routinely topping those of the U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley.