The Iowa Republican caucus is set for Jan. 15 – less than two months away – and last week Bob Vander Plaats endorsed Trump's main opponent, Florida Gov. Don DeSantis. Vander Plaats is president and CEO of The Family Leader, a nonprofit group that seeks to engage government through the election of Christ-like leaders.
Vander Plaats told Fox News that Republicans "need to find somebody who can win in 2024." He praised DeSantis as "bold and courageous."
In response, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to rail against Vander Plaats saying, "Ron DeSantimonious, in an act of sheer desperation, paid Iowa preacher Bob Vander Plaats $100,000 and then got his endorsement? We did not seek it. What is going on here."
Reuters reported that the DeSantis campaign contributed $95,000 to The Family Leader in recent months. DeSantis has defended the gift and said it was not tied to Vander Plaats' endorsement.
"They've hosted a number of major events. They had a summer event. We just had the Thanksgiving Forum, so they're paying to be able to put on programs and to be able to advertise the candidacy, and that happens. That's frequently happened, but Bob Vander Plaats's endorsement is not for sale," DeSantis said.
He went on to call Trump's comments a "scurrilous charge without merit."
Art of 'political warfare'
Trump had also lashed out at Kim Reynolds, Iowa's popular Republican governor, in the summer for failing to reciprocate the support he's previously shown her. Trump won the Iowa caucus during his failed 2020 reelection bid but not in 2016. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) won it that year.
"We've seen this. It's the art of political warfare. You take an opponent's strength – in this case, The Family Leader's strength, which is high integrity, above reproach, everything's in the sunlight – and you try to make it their weakness," Vander Plaats said on American Family Radio Tuesday.
"So, because I would go out and endorse Ron DeSantis, because I believe he's the best prepared to win in 2024, and [because I believe he's] the best prepared to lead with a bold and courageous agenda … that's against Donald Trump. Therefore, he's going to lash out – he's going to attack. I'm telling you, that is not a stripe of a leader."
The Trump presidency included some important pro-Christian moments such as the appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices and the move of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem recognizing the city as the capital.
But according to the Iowa ministry leader, the verbal attacks by Trump and Trump's campaign against people who choose to support other candidates – and recently against Casey DeSantis, the wife of Trump's opponent – have become too hard to ignore.
"It showcases that Donald Trump's campaign is basically all based and founded on being vindictive, and it's about payback, and it's going to be about revenge," Vander Plaats told show host Jenna Ellis.
Leader and statesman are not 'either/or'
America's best presidents have been not only fierce defenders of the country but also have walked the political divide of compromise, Vander Plaats argued.
"In America, we have this interesting dynamic where the president is not just the CEO of government, but he is also the statesman of government," he explained.
"Take a look at George Washington. Somebody tell me that he wasn't a bold and courageous leader. He was also a statesman. Abe Lincoln, bold and courageous leader, but also a statesman. Ronald Reagan, bold and courageous leader, but also a statesman. You can have 'yes and' – not 'either/or.'"
"We need to choose people who fear God, not believe they are God; choose people who are trustworthy, who hate dishonest gain – that's Exodus 18:21; but also somebody who's going to be a statesman." (Bob Vander Plaats, Tuesday on American Family Radio)
In Vander Plaats' opinion, the 2024 presidential election is the most important election of our lifetime – and he doesn't believe Trump can win. He said he had been leaning toward DeSantis all along because of DeSantis' record as governor of Florida. Also, the fact that Trump can only serve one term played a key role in Vander Plaat's endorsement.
"[DeSantis] won in a landslide [for governor in 2022], and he won in demographics that we rarely win in – so he showcased he can win," Vander Plaats explains. "He can take Florida off the map, and he's willing to be a bold and courageous leader, and he can serve two terms when you elect him. He'll surround himself with the best and brightest people in order to execute his agenda.
He continued: "I compare and contrast that with Donald Trump. Let's say he does get elected. He's a lame duck on Day 1 because he cannot go for two terms – and who's he going to surround himself with? All the people who have come close to Trump have been sued into financial distress or financial ruin, and he has shown no propensity to have their back. So, who's going to serve with him? And he's going to have a vindictive spirit."
Vander Platt's also opined that a second Trump presidency would be a constant complaint about the past while he's under constant indictment.
Can Iowa shake up the primary race?
DeSantis is much closer to challengers Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy in GOP polling where Trump has enjoyed a massive lead for months. Vander Plaats believes his state can shake things up.
"Our country needs and deserves better than that, and that's why I think Iowa is tailor-made to deliver a Ron DeSantis victory on Jan. 15.
"And if Iowa delivers Ron DeSantis a victory, I think then Iowa gives America a choice. Do you want to go with Donald Trump who would be a lame duck on Day 1 … or with Ron DeSantis, who could be a leader for two terms and get this country back on the right track?"
