FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

CONTACT: press@iowademocrats.org

Iowa Democrats Call Out Reynolds Playing Partisan Games by Praising Trump’s Failed COVID-19 Response

Party Chair Mark Smith and State Treasurer Fitzgerald called out Trump and Reynolds’ ineffective agenda as COVID-19 spread threatens Iowans’ lives and livelihoods

DES MOINES — On a press call ahead of Governor Kim Reynolds’ address at the Republican National Convention, where she plans to praise Trump for his hour-long trip to Iowa in the wake of the derecho where he never left the airport, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Mark Smith and State Treasurer Fitzgerald called out Trump and Reynolds’ failed leadership and partisan agenda. Reynolds has been in lock-step with Trump’s dangerous mishandling of the pandemic, mirroring his abandonment of leadership for working Iowans who are living the consequences of their failures.

“During a global pandemic — as thousands of Iowans are struggling to recover from the derecho and navigate the compounding economic effects of Trump’s attacks on Social Security and unemployment benefits — Reynolds is still pushing partisan politics,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Mark Smith. “No matter what the Governor says today, she cannot paper over her failed COVID-19 response. Trump and Reynolds’ failure to contain COVID-19, follow CDC protocol, or offer critical resources has led us to over 56,000 virus cases and killed more than 1,000 Iowans. All of these individuals left behind family, friends, and communities that will never fully be the same.

“Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic has put our economy in the worst position since the Great Depression. Hundreds of thousands of Iowans are already out of work and thousands more have lost their health insurance because of this pandemic. And still, Trump has no plan.”

“Trump and Reynolds’ ineffective handling of this pandemic has taken  a toll on every element of our society,” said State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald. “Instead of preparing for this pandemic, Donald Trump ignored the experts and promised it would ‘just go away.’ In Iowa alone, we still have to claw back another 90,000 jobs or more before we’re back to where we were before the pandemic started — some are even predicting that it won’t be until 2022. As we speak, our economy is bracing for a minimum $200 million hit in lost revenue from the cancellation of the fair and postponing Big 10 football.

“There’s a stark contrast to the failed leadership currently in the White House, and the choice this November could not be more clear. Iowa Democrats are laser focused on electing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Theresa Greenfield, and Democrats up and down the ticket to stop this needless suffering and build our country back better.”