DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds officially endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president Monday while adding she believes Donald Trump cannot win in 2024.
Joining DeSantis at a rally, Reynolds said the country “needs someone who calls out our moral decline for what it is, who looks to the future and not the past, someone who, most importantly, can win.”
“That person is Ron DeSantis. And that’s why I am so proud to stand here tonight and give him my full support and endorsement for president of the United States of America,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds’ endorsement will test the power of her political brand in Iowa against that of Trump, who appears to still have a firm grip on the Republican Party.
“We need someone who will fight for you, who puts this country first and not himself,” she said, indirectly attacking the former president.
DeSantis has come under fire in recent months after poor polling put him behind former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. His campaign has put their all into winning the state, with sources saying DeSantis’ time in the race will be determined by the Iowa result.
“I don’t care what they say about me. I will take the arrows. I will take all the criticism. I’ll take the smears,” DeSantis said Monday. “I’ll take the hits, because, ultimately, it’s not about me. It’s about you, and I will fight for you.”
Trump responded to the endorsement on Truth Social, saying this would be “the end of her political career.”
“If and when Kim Reynolds of Iowa endorses Ron DeSanctimonious, who is absolutely dying in the polls both in Iowa and Nationwide, it will be the end of her political career in that MAGA would never support her again, just as MAGA will never support DeSanctimonious again,” Trump said.
He added: Two extremely disloyal people getting together is, however, a very beautiful thing to watch. They can now remain loyal to each other because nobody else wants them!!!”
Reynolds is expected to join DeSantis on the campaign trail on Tuesday.
