Donald Trump's honesty questioned ... again

Donald Trump is having a difficult week. It's easy to tell because he's having difficulty after running into a pair of pro-DeSantis surrogates. Last night, Trump looked like an idiot by calling Texas Republican Chip Roy a RINO. His campaign also put out a new ad that makes it look like Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is endorsing Trump. In reality, Gov. Reynolds endorsed Gov. DeSantis a month ago. Now Gov. Reynolds is firing back at Trump.

The Des Moines Register is reporting that "Gov. Kim Reynolds says former President Donald Trump is 'misleading Iowans' with a campaign ad that uses old clips of her praising Trump. The Trump campaign's ad shows previous speeches where Reynolds thanked Trump for cutting taxes, appointing conservative justices to the Supreme Court and being a 'partner' to the Midwest. The minute-long video ends with a photograph of Trump and Reynolds standing side by side, waving." Further, Gov. Reynolds scorched Trump by saying this: "(Trump) thought he was entitled to my endorsement. Nobody is entitled to anything. You have to step up, you have to earn it, you have to make your case."

That highlighted part might be considered as a sharp dig at Trump, who hasn't stepped onto a debate stage during this campaign. We know what Trump did in 2017 but the economic conditions this time are significantly different. Further, Trump has a record of accomplishing some things while not accomplishing other things. Gov. Reynolds set the record straight in this on-stage interview:

The Quad City Times ran this article on the story:

"I supported President Trump in 2016. I voted for him. I supported him in 2020. I agreed with his policies," Reynolds said Monday. "But it's a different day, it's a different time. And we need a leader that doesn't have — that's not distracted. We need somebody that's focused, somebody that's disciplined, somebody that has a record of getting things done. It is a different time. It is time for a new leader, it is time for a leader that can win. And most importantly, it's time for a leader that can serve eight years, not just four."

Those are some shots to the short-and-curlies. In 2015-16, Trump said outrageous things and the other candidates crumpled. Chip Roy and Kim Reynolds aren't the types that'll crumple easily. They're more likely to stick a rhetorical shiv in Trump's ribs. Check out this time-lapse back-and-forth:

"I don't care if she endorses me or not," Trump told a crowd in Ankeny earlier this month. "It's not going to make any difference, because the only endorsement that matters is the Trump endorsement."

Reynolds shot back at Trump on Monday. "So, I’m the worst governor, it doesn’t mean anything, and he was very discouraged because I didn’t endorse in the beginning," she said, summarizing Trump's attacks. "On the other hand, he’s using me to mislead Iowans as if I’m endorsing him." Reynolds told the Bettendorf audience that she supported Trump in 2016 and 2020, but that it was time for a new leader.

"We need somebody that can get in there, attack the bureaucracy, turn this country around and then take it to the next level. And that person is Ron DeSantis," she said.

Notice the repeated shots at Trump about him getting distracted and him not being disciplined enough to get things done. Trump has already done a couple foolish things this week. Why not entice him to make a couple more mistakes, right?