GOP ad goes after Trump over Iowa governor attack
A Republican PAC launched an ad Friday going after former President Trump for his attacks on Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) for not endorsing a 2024 presidential candidate.
The Republican Accountability PAC posted the 30-second ad to Twitter. The ad claims, “But now, Donald Trump is attacking Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on social media, cutting her out of campaign events, and taking credit for her success. Why? Because she won’t endorse him in the caucuses.”
The ad goes on to say Trump should focus on his campaign, instead of “trashing Gov. Reynolds.”
The ad shows a graphic of Trump’s Monday post to Truth Social, where he took a swipe at the Iowa governor writing in part, “I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won. “Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to events! DeSanctus down 45 points!”
The Republican Accountability PAC confirmed to The Hill the ad will hit the Iowa airwaves Monday, playing in every designated market area statewide in Iowa on Fox News. The ad will run all next week on all the major shows on the Fox News Network, according to the PAC.
Trump’s criticism of Reynolds follows a New York Times report on his campaign’s frustrations regarding the Iowa governor’s appearances with DeSantis during his campaign stops in the state.
Reynolds previously emphasized she would remain neutral in the 2024 election process to allow all candidates to feel welcome in the state.
In support of Reynolds, Iowa state Sen. Jeff Reichman (R) announced Thursday he would flip his endorsement of Trump and back DeSantis in the election instead.
Trump also faced criticism this week for his decision to not go to the Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines on Friday, where six presidential candidates, including DeSantis, were in attendance and interviewed by Tucker Carlson.
Recent polling shows Trump leading over DeSantis, who was expected by some to be Trump’s top rival.
“There’s no question Donald Trump is winning Iowa right now,” Josie Albrecht, a former top Iowa GOP Statehouse communications adviser, told The Associated Press. “I think there has been a lot of support for him for many years, and that’s a hard wall to crack.”
The former president will return to Iowa next week for a town hall with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity.
The Associated Press contributed.