Former President Donald Trump made a flurry of social media posts criticizing Gov. Kim Reynolds Sunday as the Iowa Republican is expected on Monday to endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
The endorsement is an important win for DeSantis, who was 27 percentage points behind former President Donald Trump in the most recent Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll. He’s also tied at 16% with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Reynolds, popular with Iowa Republicans, may be an influential factor in the 2024 Iowa caucuses as DeSantis hopes to solidify his position as the most viable Trump alternative in the GOP presidential nomination process. The Des Moines Register first reported that Reynolds plans to endorse DeSantis.
The Iowa governor plans to speak at a campaign rally in Des Moines Monday with DeSantis, in addition to attending a meet-and-greet with the Florida governor Tuesday in Davenport. Reynolds will also head to Miami, Florida, Wednesday, where she plans to raise money for DeSantis’ campaign as he and other Republican candidates will compete on the Republican presidential debate stage.
Trump will not debate, but instead hold his own rally in Hialeah, Florida, 15 miles away from the debate