ANKENY, IOWA (AP) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday he would consider Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds as a potential running mate, should he win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and dismissed former President Donald Trump’s recent complaints about her as “totally out of hand”.
“Of course,” DeSantis said when asked whether he would consider the second-term Republican. “I mean, she’s one of the top public servants in America.”
Trump last week criticised Reynolds, immensely popular among the state’s GOP base, for her seemingly cozy relationship with DeSantis while stating her public neutrality as the lead Republican figure in the state that hosts the lead-off presidential caucuses in less than six months.
Reynolds has appeared with other GOP White House prospects, but has moderated conversations with DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis, while also attending Trump’s first campaign event in Iowa last March.
DeSantis noted that he and Reynolds banter over their similar records, and the playful rivalry between the two states, where conservative policy has moved swiftly this year.
On Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, the former president took credit for opening the governorship to Reynolds, who stepped into the role after Republican Governor Terry Branstad became US ambassador to China during the Trump administration.
“Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL’.” Trump wrote, adding he would not invite her to his campaign events.
