Brenna Bird still auditioning for Donald Trump
playing to an audience of one
This original reporting and analysis first appeared at Bleeding Heartland and is shared here as part of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. For regular emails linking to all recent Bleeding Heartland articles and commentary, subscribe to the free Evening Heartland newsletter.
“President Trump was right about everything—build the wall, end catch-and-release, and stand with law enforcement,” wrote Attorney General Brenna Bird in a May 21 post on her campaign Facebook page. She was near the U.S. border with Mexico, at a press conference organized by the Republican Attorneys General Association.
The Iowa Attorney General’s office didn’t release a statement about the trip before or afterwards, and didn’t post about it on Bird’s official Facebook or X/Twitter feeds.
That makes sense, because Bird didn’t go to Arizona to perform any official duties. The trip was the latest sign that she is desperate to secure President Donald Trump’s endorsement as she considers whether to run for governor in 2026.
PLAYING TO AN AUDIENCE OF ONE
Bird repeatedly thanked border patrol and local law enforcement during the press conference with other Republican attorneys general. But her target audience was clearly the “audience of one” in the White House. I’ve cued up this video to the beginning of her two-minute remarks:
Bird expressed her gratitude “as a mom, a prosecutor, and Iowa’s attorney general” upon seeing “the wall, how effective it is” and other “tremendous” work at the southern border.
She bashed the previous administration: “Under [President Joe] Biden, every state was a border state, and I think Iowa is just about as far as you can get from an international border, but Iowa was having border state problems.”
Bird asserted that thanks to the current “great enforcement” at the southern border, “started by President Trump” with support from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem, “we are seeing effects and will continue to see effects in Iowa. We are seeing less cartel activity, drug transactions interrupted, and then you also have the impact on human trafficking, which strikes close to all of our hearts.”
“It’s unclear what data she was citing,” observed Des Moines Register reporter Marissa Payne.
Bird gave credit to border patrol for catching “wife beaters,” drug dealers, and other violent criminals trying to cross the border. “They are keeping America safe with their work. So we thank them. They are heroes with a good heart.”
She went on to praise Trump and his agenda, saying law enforcement “have persevered through the tough times, and times when they had a leader in the White House, President Trump, who backed them up and understood their mission. And he supports enforcing the law and securing the border.”
Bird added, “I was also glad to help support President Trump with what he’s doing for birthright citizenship, returning that to a common-sense policy. Because no one should be rewarded for breaking the law.”
In February, Bird led eighteen Republican AGs on a “friend of the court” brief defending the executive order Trump signed on his first day back in office. Under that order, babies born in the U.S. would not become citizens automatically, but only if one of their parents were a citizen or lawful permanent resident.
Four federal judges have already ruled that Trump’s order likely violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which reads in part, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Bird followed up her border photo op on May 21 with social media posts touting her record on immigration issues. In a Soviet-style flourish, she aligned herself with an infallible leader: “President Trump was right about everything – build the wall, end catch-and-release, and stand with law enforcement. Now, I’m proud to work closely with President Trump to secure our border.”
Whether Trump wants to work closely with Bird is an open question.
“SHE CAME OUT SO EARLY, AND I APPRECIATE IT”
When Governor Kim Reynolds announced six weeks ago that she would not seek a third term in 2026, Bird quickly released a statement saying she and her husband would “pray and consider what this decision means for our future. I appreciate the calls of encouragement I’ve already received. I am committed to continuing my work on behalf of Iowans and to support President Trump as he works to Make America Great Again.”
Prayers may offer comfort and guidance. But a sign from the White House would be more helpful to Bird right now than a sign from God.
A sign from the White House would be more helpful to Bird right now than a sign from God.
With Trump’s backing, Bird would become the instant front-runner for the GOP primary. Without it, she’s a statewide official whose approval rating was more than ten points below State Auditor Rob Sand’s in three straight polls last year (see the Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll coverage from March, June, and September 2024).
I don’t know what kind of conversations Bird has had with Trump or his political advisers in recent weeks. But we can all see the president hasn’t tipped his hand.
Meanwhile, State Senator Mike Bousselot announced a month ago that he was exploring the governor’s race, with support from former Governor Terry Branstad. That has to hurt: Bird served as the governor’s legal counsel for four years during the second Branstad administration. Bousselot succeeded her in that role in early 2015.
U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04) has not only launched an exploratory committee, but is already spending $400,000 on a television commercial promoting his bid to be the next governor. That spot says Feenstra “stood with President Trump and battled Biden and the left,” and “backed Trump to secure our border.”
Perhaps Bird was irritated by the posturing. While she actively campaigned for Trump before the 2024 caucuses, Feenstra (a Ted Cruz endorser in 2016) stayed neutral in the presidential race. He reportedly thought seriously about endorsing Nikki Haley.
On May 16—two days after Feenstra launched his TV ad—Bird posted a video on her political Facebook page and X/Twitter feed. The message wasn’t subtle, even without the added “Someday…” and eyes emoji. (Since Substack doesn’t make it easy to embed videos from those platforms, I am sharing a copy I uploaded to YouTube.)
Pulling together clips from four separate appearances, the video shows Trump calling Bird “a person who is so wonderful,” “somebody who was with us early on,” and “a big star, very popular.” During a White House event to mark Women’s History Month, Trump says, “She’s so popular in Iowa. She came out so early, and I appreciate it very much, it’s great.”
The video ends with footage of Trump at his Iowa caucus night victory party. In a comment that generated some media coverage at the time, Trump said, “She stepped up, she’s gonna be your governor someday, I predict.”
Asked about the “Someday” video, Bird told the Des Moines Register she had “received encouragement from Iowans across the state […] Running for governor isn’t a decision to be made lightly. We look forward to sharing our plans soon for an exciting 2026.”
If the idea was to nudge Trump into publicly supporting her, it hasn’t worked yet.
Bird has plenty of time to decide which office to run for in 2026. On the other hand, the longer she delays, the more time competitors have to lock down donors.
Feenstra claimed to raise $1.1 million in the first 24 hours after launching his exploratory committee. Bousselot should be able to raise substantial funds through Branstad’s network and his close ties to Big Ag interests. A former employee of Bruce Rastetter’s Summit Agricultural Group, he floor managed the pesticide immunity bill in the Iowa Senate this year and was at the center of efforts to block legislation targeting the Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 pipeline.
Bird’s campaign started the year with around $507,000 cash on hand. She’s holding a high-dollar fundraiser in Des Moines on May 29, but will be playing catch-up if she does eventually run for governor.
I would guess that unless she gets some assurances from Trump, Bird will seek a second term as attorney general. We may see more public auditions before she commits one way or the other.
Final note: if Bird does land Trump’s endorsement in the governor’s race, I expect Bousselot to run for attorney general in 2026.
If you polled all of the law students at Drake, the University of Iowa and students in the Legal Assistant program at DMACC, you wouldn't be able to find 2 students who think you can Constitutionally end birthright citizenship with an executive order. Iowans elected an Attorney General who thinks you can and now she wants to be Governor. Which is worse--an Attorney General who doesn't know what the Constitution says or one who doesn't care what the Constitution says?
"Bird gave credit to border patrol for catching “wife beaters,”". Ironically, it was Biden who granted victims of domestic abuse asylum.