A spokesperson for Donald Trump’s campaign called Iowa state senator Jeff Reichman “lily-livered” after the Iraq veteran flipped his endorsement to Florida governor Ron DeSantis in response to the former president’s attack on Iowa’s governor earlier this week.
“There is no room for weak-kneed and lily-livered people on Team Trump,” spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement to Politico about Reichman rescinding his endorsement.
Trump ruffled feathers in the Hawkeye State this week by attacking Iowa governor Kim Reynolds in a Truth Social post: “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!”
Reynolds previously explained her decision not to endorse: “I want to welcome everyone to this state. And if I weigh in, I don’t know if they’ll feel all that welcome. But, you know, I’ve made it clear, I will be happy to help introduce you, help travel the state, connect in any way that I can — especially to make sure that if we’ve got big things going on that they know about it.”
Reichman said in a statement on Thursday that “Iowa Republicans must be united if we are going to take our country back and reverse Joe Biden’s failures.”
“Governor DeSantis has achieved the same type of commonsense policy victories in Florida as we have in Iowa under Governor Kim Reynolds, and he will deliver historic success for the conservative movement as president as well,” he said.
Several influential Iowans came to Reynolds’s defense, including FAMiLY Leader president and CEO Bob Vander Plaats, who tweeted: “Forest Gump says, ‘stupid is as stupid does.’ My Mom says don’t call anyone, ‘stupid.’ So, I won’t. However, this isn’t smart. Iowa is wide open. #ChooseWell2024.”
Six Republican presidential candidates appeared at a summit held by Vander Plaats’ group on Friday — Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Mike Pence, and Asa Hutchinson — to be interviewed by Tucker Carlson. Trump was notably absent.
Vander Plaats said Trump’s team offered to send Senator J. D. Vance as a surrogate, but Vander Plaats declined, per Jonathan Swan of the New York Times, because the organization has a policy of declining surrogates or video presentations for its events.
Last month, New Hampshire state representative James Spillane also flipped his endorsement from Trump to DeSantis after Trump attacked Fox News host and former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
“I was one of the 51 original endorsers for former President Trump. But I cannot further continue endorsing him. I am withdrawing my endorsement. And I’m going to endorse Ron DeSantis,” he said. “The reason being that when I did endorse Trump I thought that he would be able to continue with a positive message, learn from his past mistakes and give us a way forward to continue the policies that he started before . . . But it’s become evident, especially with the latest attack on Kayleigh McEnany that there’s no loyalty in him.”
Trump blasted his former press secretary in a Truth Social post after a report she did on his poll numbers against DeSantis.
“Kayleigh’ Milktoast’ McEnany just gave out the wrong poll numbers on FoxNews,” Trump posted. “I am 34 points up on DeSanctimonious, not 25 up. While 25 is great, it’s not 34. She knew the number was corrected upwards by the group that did the poll. The RINOS & Globalists can have her. FoxNews should only use REAL Stars!!!”