Florida Rep. Byron Donalds has removed most prominent references to Donald Trump from his gubernatorial campaign website, including an "ENDORSED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP!" banner and a photo with the former president. The endorsement is now reduced to a quoted slogan and broader supporter mentions, while the campaign's policy priorities have been recast—softening MAGA language on immigration and replacing an explicit pledge to "Enact the Trump Agenda" with an emphasis on affordability. Observers note Donalds's past votes against certifying the 2020 results and his history of promoting fraud claims, even as he recalibrates messaging for a statewide bid.
Byron Donalds Quietly Erases Trump Branding From Gubernatorial Site — A Strategic Pivot
MAGA Candidate Quietly Scrubs All Trump Mentions From Campaign Website
Florida Rep. Byron Donalds has quietly removed nearly all references to former President Donald Trump from his gubernatorial campaign website, signaling a notable shift in messaging as he seeks statewide office.
Snapshots preserved by the Internet Archive show the campaign previously flaunted Trump's backing with a bright yellow banner reading "ENDORSED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP!" and a fundraising call that urged visitors to "Chip in to Support Trump Endorsed Byron Donalds." Those elements, along with a photo of Donalds and his wife, Erika Donalds, standing beside Trump, are no longer prominent on the site.
Instead, Trump's support appears reduced to a single quoted placard—"RUN, BYRON, RUN!"—a line attributed to Trump's 2025 remarks. The site also reworked its policy priorities, toning down explicit MAGA language: a pledge previously framed as "Enact[ing] the Trump Agenda" now emphasizes affordability, and an earlier promise to "Fight Illegal Immigration" has been softened to "stop taxpayer handouts to illegal immigration" and relegated to a later position under a "Law and Order" section.
Donalds has long leaned on Trump-era credentials. The three-term Florida lawmaker voted against certifying the 2020 presidential results in Arizona and Pennsylvania and has repeatedly amplified claims of election fraud in those states despite state officials finding no evidence to support those allegations. At an Axios event in 2024, Donalds said he would refuse to certify future results if he believed state officials had violated election laws, but he has declined to say definitively whether he would have certified the 2020 results if he had been in former Vice President Mike Pence's position.
Critics have faulted Donalds for his earlier alignment with Trump: in 2024 his ex-wife, Bisa Hall, publicly described him as "very opportunistic" and accused him of grandstanding for the former president. Supporters, by contrast, continue to appear among the voices showcased on the campaign site, suggesting the endorsement remains a part of Donalds's broader coalition, if a less central one.
What This May Mean
Political observers view the removal of overt Trump branding as a deliberate recalibration designed to broaden Donalds's appeal beyond the MAGA base. If other high-profile Republicans follow suit, the change could reduce visible signs of Trump-era allegiance among the party's statewide hopefuls and alter the landscape of surrogate endorsements ahead of upcoming contests.
Bottom line: Byron Donalds appears to be dialing back public Trump references on his campaign site—shifting rhetoric on priorities and de-emphasizing a once-prominent endorsement as he positions himself for a statewide run.
Help us improve.
