Donald Trump slams Iowa Gov. Reynolds as 'most unpopular governor' in continued feud

Donald Trump is again doubling down on his criticism of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and presidential challenger Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, releasing a video Tuesday in which he dismissed the impact of Reynolds' endorsement of his opponent and called her "the most unpopular governor in America."

In the video, published by his campaign, Trump said Reynolds had "gone from a popular governor to the most unpopular governor in the entire United States of America, not an easy feat."

Her endorsement of DeSantis, Trump said, "has given him exactly zero bounce," calling the Florida governor "a wounded bird." And the Republican frontrunner ruminated on whether Reynolds would have a prominent role in a DeSantis administration.

"I wonder what position Kim was promised in order to back someone who is so far down in the polls," he said.

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Trump's mention of Reynolds' popularity appears to reference a recent Morning Consult poll surveying the approval ratings of every U.S. senator, governor and President Joe Biden. Reynolds sported the highest disapproval rating of any U.S. governor at 47%.

The Iowa Poll in August found that Reynolds remains popular among Republicans in the state, with 81% viewing her favorably.

Trump's Tuesday video represents an escalation of the soured relationship between the former president and Reynolds, who broke her neutrality in the caucuses earlier this month by endorsing DeSantis and has since been campaigning alongside him.

Trump has previously called Reynolds "disloyal" in the wake of her endorsement and declared that it would be "the end of her political career." But his frustration with Iowa's governor was clear even before the endorsement, previously saying "I don't invite her to events" as she remained neutral in the caucuses, and later taking credit for her 2022 re-election victory.

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And while Trump didn't mention Reynolds during an address last weekend in Fort Dodge, he did mention Iowa's two U.S. senators.

"I got a lot of people elected here," Trump said Saturday. "Including (U.S. Sen. Chuck) Grassley, who was having a problem, and (U.S. Sen. Joni) Ernst, who had a really big problem. … I got 'em elected, remember that."

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Donald Trump slams Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds as 'most unpopular governor'