Evangelical Leader Claims Trump, Not DeSantis, Tried to Buy Endorsement
/Some call Bob Vander Plaats a “kingmaker,” since the last three of his Iowa presidential primary endorsements (Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and Ted Cruz) have gone on to win the state. However, none of these endorsed candidates went on to win the overall Republican nomination. It should have been easy for former President Donald Trump to ignore Plaats’ endorsement of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but not punching back wouldn’t be Trump’s style.
“Over 150 faith leaders in Iowa are organizing their congregations to President Trump and not a single one demanded nearly $100k like Bob Vander Plaat$ did from Ron DeSanctus,” the Trump campaign said in a statement. “When you are actually the leader of a movement like President Trump is, people are willing to support you for free.”
What is Bob Vander Plaats’ response to Trump’s allegations? An allegation of his own. “Nope…my endorsement isn’t, wasn’t and never has been for sale. But, then you already knew that, didn’t you?”
The Trump campaign’s allegation is rooted in a Reuters article about a combined $95,000 to Plaats’ Family Leader Foundation, paid by the DeSantis campaign, nonprofit And to the Republic, and Super PAC Never Back Down.
“According to the Vander Plaats’ group fundraising document, the DeSantis campaign paid $25,000 to the organization for its ad in a commemorative booklet distributed at the event and an invitation to a special after-event dinner with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.”
The Family Leader Foundation hosted a presidential candidate forum back on July 14. Former Vice President Mike Pence’s campaign attended but declined the high-dollar sponsorship options, but Senator Tim Scott and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy spent $25,000.
The puzzling—perhaps deceptive—thing about Trump’s attack on Plaats is that candidates, nonprofits, and PACs paying for table sponsorships are extremely common. Whether it’s Lincoln Day Dinners, Christmas parties, candidate forums, and so on, political organizations will try to offset the costs with sponsorship packages. Some might include VIP privileges and special time with elected officials or celebrity guests, or your name mentioned on a big screen or in a booklet. It varies. It’s also very common for organizations or candidates to buy out entire tables, which may come with special perks, or at the very least, discounts. Then, those seats are for whoever they choose to attend.
Other forums in Iowa or across the country have much smaller price tags, but it’s not cheap to host major candidate forums with 2,000 people, and big hosts like Tucker Carlson. For example, the Brighter MI PAC hosted an event with Tucker Carlson in September, and their “Level 1” sponsorship package was $25,000.
Speaker fees are also a large part of event expenses, on top of travel, security, food, promotion, and venue space. You may find the occasional speaker who waives their fee for a good enough cause, but many big names in the political space can cost anywhere from five to six figures.
Trump influencers are parroting the Trump campaign’s smears. They’re even pointing to a Fox News interview with Plaats as evidence, but all Plaats acknowledged was that candidates did buy ads for an event. He even encouraged voters to read the Reuters article because it is an exoneration.
Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Ron DeDeSanctimonious, 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?”
Plaats was directly asked by Steve Deace on his radio show if Trump had tried to buy his endorsement. “Of course, he has.”
Trump has also attacked Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds for endorsing DeSantis. He cut a special ad, claiming she was the most unpopular governor in the country. Reynolds won her reelection in 2022 by 18.5 points. Even when it was believed Reynolds was going to stay neutral, Trump began attacking Reynolds for her disloyalty. She, ultimately, revealed Trump had sought her endorsement and failed to obtain it.
According to 538, Trump is up anywhere from 24 to 36 points in Iowa. Attacking a governor who overwhelmingly won reelection and an evangelical leader seems unnecessary if he is unstoppable. However, Reynolds and Plaats agreed to campaign with the governor and do everything within their power to propel him to victory.
Plaats dismisses the idea that his endorsement has led to back-to-back victories. He simply said Iowans decide—not polls—and they choose principles first.
The Iowa caucus will be held on January 15, 2024.
