The Blizzard and the Freeze
Donald Trump apparently didn’t know Dairy Queen’s most popular item. “What the hell is a Blizzard?” Trump asked during a campaign stop at a Dairy Queen in Council Bluffs on July 7th.
Either my kids or Senator Chuck Grassley could explain to the fast food aficionado the frozen treat that’s been around for nearly four decades.
The former president’s ignorance of that dessert choice brought snickers from critics (by the way, DQ has a new Snickers Brownie Blizzard). But it’s something else that Trump said that’s raised the curiosity of Iowa politicos: the potential freeze in the relationship between Trump and Iowa’s governor.
Here’s what Trump posted his Truth Social media account July 10th:
“I love Iowa, protected & expanded Ethanol, got 28 Billion Dollars from China for our great Farmers, ended the Estate (Death!) Tax on farms, made the best TRADE deals in history (USMCA, China, & many more), introduced the World to our FARMERS, & kept Iowa’s “First in the Nation” status. 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!’
There are some things to unpack from that post and fact check. For now, I’ll just focus on his claims about Governor Kim Reynolds. Yes, he technically opened up the governor’s position for her.
Trump named Terry Branstad as the U.S. Ambassador to China in 2017. Branstad had been serving as Iowa’ governor and Reynolds was the lieutenant governor. Branstad resigned and Reynolds ascended to his position to become the state’s first female governor.
Would she have later won her first full term as governor in 2018 without Trump’s endorsement? It was a close race with Democratic challenger, wealthy Des Moines businessman Fred Hubbell. Hard to determine how much of an impact, if any, Trump’s endorsement had on the race that she eventually won by 2.8%.
But Reynolds has been loyal to Trump again and again, even when his comments or actions could hurt the state.
Trump claims wind turbines cause cancer (no evidence of that and Iowa has been second in the nation in wind production).
Trump campaigns in Iowa and repeats his unfounded claims that he actually won the 2020 presidential election (no need to re-hash the dozens of times that the courts have ruled against Trump on this matter).
Trump claimed that he saved the ethanol industry (his administration gave out dozens of waivers to small oil refineries that potentially eliminated the need for billions of gallons of renewable fuels).
Reynolds could have ripped Trump for all those things. She did not. Some expected her to push back in some way publicly when he told Iowans that she was only governor because of him. But she didn’t. At least not yet.
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Reynolds has been clear all along that she would remain neutral in the months leading up to the 2024 Iowa Republican Caucuses. Senators Grassley and Joni Ernst have, too.
But a New York Times article, perhaps, triggered Trump to rip Reynolds for her neutrality pledge. (Here’s that article plus a follow up that includes reaction from some Iowa GOP’ers who weren’t thrilled with Trump’s criticism.) Trump seems to fear that Reynolds and DeSantis are too cozy. And Trump treats DeSantis as his primary threat to the party’s nomination.
Trump expects loyality. He demands it. And he apparently doesn’t think Reynolds is offering up enough of it. Yes, Reynolds has appeared with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at Iowa campaign events (and traveled to Florida to meet with him). She has also appeared with DeSantis’ wife, Casey, in Iowa for the presidential campaign. But Reynolds has also campaigned alongside other presidential candidates this cycle. With Trump, too, for that matter. So is she really showing any public favoritism?
Bob Vander Plaats, one of the state’s most well-known social conservative leaders and head of the Family Leader, just held an event in Des Moines yesterday before about 2,000 activists. Six presidential candidates attended. Trump refused.
Vander Plaats is a different situation than Reynolds. BVP has made it clear that he thinks it’s time for Republicans to move on from Trump in 2024. And Trump may have made it clear what he thinks of Vander Plaats by skipping the event (was that really a smart move politically, though?)
Trump has a recent pattern of skipping larger Iowa events that feature numerous other candidates.
Trump also refused to attend Senator Joni Ernst’s Roast and Ride Fundraiser in Des Moines on June 3rd. Eight other candidates attended. So did a crowd of about 900. And Trump declined to show up in person for the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s spring kickoff in April in Clive before about 1,000 people. Six presidential candidates came. Trump appeared via video.
If you add up those three events, that means Trump chose not to speak in person before nearly 4,000 Iowans who may caucus next January.
Now let’s be clear about where things stand, though, according to the polls. Trump leads DeSantis by 24% in the RealClearPolitics average of the limited, publicly-released Iowa polling so far. So it looks like the caucus is his to lose right now.
However, Reynolds may be the state’s most popular politician, there are six months until Iowans caucus, Trump faces numerous civil and criminal investigations and we don’t really know yet the extent of “Trump fatigue.”
Iowans may not really care that Trump doesn’t know what a Blizzard is. But they may end up remembering the hot Iowa summer when Trump’s hubris started to chill his standing as the guaranteed favorite in 2024.
Dave Price’s Perspective is part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, a group of independent journalists. Please consider supporting the work of other members.
Iowans,RandD, consider it poor manners to visit our State and to be disrespectful of our Governor.