Donald Trump Rages at Bob Vander Plaats Snubbing Him—'What Is Going On?'

Donald Trump has reacted after Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats endorsed one of his rivals as the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

The former president raged on social media after Vander Plaats, leader of the evangelical group Family Leader, told Fox News on Tuesday he was endorsing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is running against Trump in the GOP primaries.

"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?" wrote Trump on Truth Social, referring to a donation reportedly made to the evangelical leader's foundation.

Vander Plaats is influential in Iowa among the evangelical population, which makes up almost two-thirds of GOP voters in the state. His organization pushes for "inspiring Christ-like leadership" in the state's government, and has direct contact with over 2,200 churches.

He supported the last three winners of contested GOP caucuses In Iowa, which effectively launch Republican primaries, backing Mike Huckabee in 2008, Rick Santorum in 2012 and Ted Cruz in 2016. However, none of them went on to win the Republican nomination.

"I'm thrilled to throw my personal endorsement and support behind Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida," said Vander Plaats. "We need to find someone that can win in 2024."

Newsweek contacted the Family Leader Foundation as well as representatives for Trump and DeSantis via email.

Vander Plaats said he had leaned toward DeSantis at the start of the primary because he won Florida by a sizable margin in the 2022 midterms, and called him a "bold and courageous leader."

He said DeSantis "closed the sale" during his appearance at The Family Leader's Thanksgiving Family Forum event in Iowa last week.

"He was very clear about, we need a president who can serve two terms, not one term. We don't need a president that's gonna be a lame duck on day one," Vander Plaats said.

"I think America would be well served to have a choice, and I really believe Ron DeSantis is that guy and I think Iowa's tailor-made for him to win this."

DeSantis and his backers donated $95,000 over a few months to the Family Leader Foundation, the nonprofit led by Vander Plaats, according to an August Reuters report.

In a statement, the Trump campaign added that Vander Plaats was endorsing "a candidate who will never be president."

"Over 150 faith leaders in Iowa are organizing their congregations for President Trump and not a single one demanded nearly $100k like Bob Vander Plaat$ did from Ron DeSanctus," read the statement. "When you are actually the leader of a movement like President Trump is, people are willing to support you for free."

On Fox News, Vander Plaats confirmed the donations but said his endorsement "has never been and never will be for sale." He said he supported DeSantis because he thought he would win the election and had the requisite experience for the role.

In a tweet, DeSantis thanked Vander Plaats for his endorsement.

"As I've made my way through 98 of Iowa's 99 counties, Iowans have shared what a critical role @bobvanderplaats plays in engaging Iowa's faith community in the key battles that matter. His support tells Iowans they can trust me to fight and win for them," he wrote.

A 2024 Republican primary tracking poll from FiveThirtyEight shows that Trump is currently leading at 60.3 percent. DeSantis is in second place with 13.2 percent while former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is at 9.6 percent.