Donalds coy on potential Florida governor bid while thanking Trump for endorsement
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) was coy while discussing his potential Florida gubernatorial bid during a Friday interview while also expressing gratitude for landing an early endorsement from President Trump.
When asked if and when he might enter the race during his appearance on NewsNation's show 'The Hill,' Donalds said that he is not 'going to get into it now, there's a lot of different things that we're thinking through, but I do got to say, really appreciative of President Trump and his support.'
He added, 'You know, it's something where, you know, I think if we decided to make that that jump, you know, the mission is going to be about making sure that Florida just goes to higher and higher heights.'
Trump endorsed Donalds, his close ally on Capitol Hill and a rising star in the GOP, on Thursday, proclaiming that Donalds would have a 'big voice' and would work 'closely' with the commander-in-chief to advance his America-first agenda.
'He will fight tirelessly to Secure our Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Military, Protect our Vets, Restore our Economic Power, Advance American Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment,' Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Donalds said Friday that he and his team are having internal discussions, including about his potential entrance into the race.
'Nothing really to put out right now, but I'm really appreciative of the support from President Trump and the support pouring out from so many other people around the state, around the country,' Donalds told NewsNation's Blake Burman.
Days before the endorsement, which tends to carry a significant amount of weight in Republican primaries, Trump showcased an internal poll conducted by Florida-based Republican pollster Victory Insights, that showed Donalds, who represents Florida's 19th Congressional District, being in the top spot in a hypothetical Sunshine State's governor's race.
Donalds was on top with 31 percent. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez (R) was at 4 percent while the state's Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson (R) got 3 percent. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez received 1 percent backing.
While Donalds has not officially announced his state-wide run, he has bolstered his campaign team. He has spoken to Florida-based donors about a potential bid and has brought on Trump's 2016 and 2024 presidential pollster Tony Fabrizio, The Hill reported last month.
'A lot of people in the state are eager to have him get into the race,' one source familiar with the matter told The Hill. 'The grassroots truly comes to Byron.'
It is unclear who DeSantis, whose term ends in January 2027, will support once the race kicks off. Donalds and the Florida governor have had a tense relationship. The House Republican endorsed Trump in April 2023, even before DeSantis officially kickstarted his presidential bid which ended in January last year.
On Friday, Donalds praised DeSantis's work in Florida.
'I think the one thing that is clear is that, look, Governor DeSantis has done a great job for our state,' Donalds said on NewsNation. 'We all know that, and but there's going to be time to pick a new governor, and then we'll go on from there.'
Earlier on Friday, Donalds told The Hill he has not spoken with DeSantis yet, 'but I know we will.'
He said 'It's too early for that' when asked if he thinks that the Florida governor would endorse him.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
ICE raids meat production plant in Omaha, dozens detained
ICE raids meat production plant in Omaha, dozens detained WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - An immigration raid on Tuesday at a meat production plant in Omaha, Nebraska was the "largest worksite enforcement operation" in the state during the Trump presidency, the Homeland Security Department said. U.S. Congressman Don Bacon told local media 75-80 people were detained. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid happened at a plant of Glenn Valley Foods. The food packaging company said it was surprised by the raid and had followed the rules regarding immigration status. Chad Hartmann, president of Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, said the plant that was raided used E-Verify, a federal database used for checking employees' immigration status. He told Reuters that when he said this to a federal agent, the agent responded "the system is broken" and urged him to contact his local congressional representative. ICE officers have been intensifying efforts in recent weeks to deliver on U.S. President Donald Trump's promise of record-level deportations. The White House has demanded the agency sharply increase arrests of migrants in the U.S. illegally, sources have told Reuters. More: Curfew enacted for parts of LA; Newsom says Trump chose 'theatrics over public safety' Tensions boiled over in Los Angeles over the weekend when protesters took to the streets after ICE arrested migrants at Home Depot stores, a garment factory and a warehouse, according to migrant advocates. Local police in Omaha said they were informed by immigration officials about the raid in advance while the company said it got no notice about the operation ahead of time. Hartmann said federal agents had a warrant that said they had identified 107 people who they believed were using fraudulent documents. "This was the largest worksite enforcement operation in Nebraska under the Trump Administration," the Homeland Security Department said on X, adding no law enforcement official was hurt. ICE said a criminal investigation was ongoing into what immigration officials called a large-scale employment of immigrants who are present in the U.S. illegally. More: In LA's Paramount neighborhood ICE raids hit hard. Here's why. "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and federal law enforcement partners, executed a federal search warrant at Glenn Valley Foods, today, based on an ongoing criminal investigation into the large-scale employment of aliens without authorization to work in the United States," an ICE spokesperson told an ABC News affiliate. More than half of all meatpacking workers in the U.S. are immigrants, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a think tank. Rights advocates, including the ACLU of Nebraska, condemned the raid. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Editing by Michael Perry)
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they 'went too far'
Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, said Wednesday he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president, after the pair's public falling-out last week. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on his social media platform X. Musk's expression of regret came just days after Trump threatened the tech billionaire with "serious consequences" if he sought to punish Republicans who vote for a controversial spending bill. Their blistering break-up -- largely carried out on social media before a riveted public since Thursday last week -- was ignited by Musk's harsh criticism of Trump's so-called "big, beautiful" spending bill, which is currently before Congress. Some lawmakers who were against the bill had called on Musk -- one of the Republican Party's biggest financial backers in last year's presidential election -- to fund primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," Trump, who also branded Musk "disrespectful," told NBC News on Saturday, without specifying what those consequences would be. Trump also said he had "no" desire to repair his relationship with the South African-born Tesla and SpaceX chief, and that he has "no intention of speaking to him." In his post on Wednesday, Musk did not specify which of his criticisms of Trump had gone "too far." - 'Wish him well' - The former allies had seemed to have cut ties amicably about two weeks ago, with Trump giving Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But their relationship cracked within days as Musk described the spending bill as an "abomination" that, if passed by Congress, could define Trump's second term in office. Trump hit back at Musk's comments in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington stunned. "Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore. I was surprised," Trump told reporters. Musk, who was Trump's biggest donor to his 2024 campaign, also raised the issue of the Republican's election win. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," he posted, adding: "Such ingratitude." Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that cutting billions of dollars in subsidies and contracts to Musk's companies would be the "easiest way" to save the US government money. US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion. With real political and economic risks to their falling out, both appeared to inch back from the brink on Friday, with Trump telling reporters "I just wish him well," and Musk responding on X: "Likewise." Trump had spoken to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted one of the explosive allegations he had made during their fallout, linking the president with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Musk had alleged that the Republican president is featured in unreleased government files on former associates of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while he faced sex trafficking charges. Trump was named in a trove of deposition and statements linked to Epstein that were unsealed by a New York judge in early 2024. The president has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case. "Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files," Musk posted on X. "That is the real reason they have not been made public." Musk did not reveal which files he was talking about and offered no evidence for his claim. He appeared to have deleted those tweets by Saturday morning. bur-sco/dhc
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump and Musk's feud timeline: From Epstein allegations to Elon's olive branch
On Friday May 30, President Donald Trump handed his close aide and 'first buddy' Elon Musk a golden key to the White House, praising the work the tech billionaire had done for his administration. 'Elon gave an incredible service,' Trump said in a joint press conference with Musk last week. 'There's nobody like him.' That press conference was intended to mark the end of Musk's 130 days as a special government advisor, leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in slashing excess federal spending. For the latest updates on the feud read our blog here Although there had been some disagreements during Musk's time in the role – the Tesla owner made it clear he was not a fan of Trump's tariffs, for instance – the event seemed to mark a conciliatory end to their working relationship. But there were rumblings: Musk, whose whole purpose at DOGE had been reducing federal expense, was deeply opposed to Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill,' fearing it would ramp up the national debt over the next 10 years. While White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had successfully managed to spin their difference of opinion as an example of healthy debate for a couple of days, everything came to a head on Thursday June 5. Here's a timeline of how the very public fight between Trump and Musk unfolded, which appeared unresolvable until Musk offered a grovelling apology six days later. Writing on X, Musk says: 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.' He continued: 'It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America (sic) citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.' Two days later, things escalated dramatically. In an Oval Office appearance with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said he was 'very disappointed' by Musk's comments. 'Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here,' Trump told reporters. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore.' Trump added he 'would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway,' without Musk's help. Musk posts a slew of tweets to X, in one of which he rebuts Trump's point about Pennsylvania, arguing: 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.' In another, he asks, 'Where is this guy today??' in response to a tweet of screenshots from the president's previous criticisms of increasing the debt ceiling. He then tweeted: 'The Big Ugly Bill will INCREASE the deficit to $2.5 trillion!' This is shortly followed by a new suggestion from Musk: 'Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?' This post was still pinned to the top of the X owner's timeline for several days thereafter. Responding to MAGA blogger Laura Loomer on X, who was commenting about the divide amongst Republicans over the fight between Musk and Trump, the billionaire said: 'Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years...' The president says that Musk was 'wearing thin' in a series of posts on his social media platform. 'I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump said. He then added: 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' Retweeting a screenshot of Trump's EV mandate comment (alluding to the Big, Beautiful Bill scrapping a $7,500 tax credit for EV customers, which would impact Tesla), Musk said: 'Such an obvious lie. So sad.' Musk tweeted: 'Files linked to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have emerged as a point of fixation for Trump and his allies and right-wing media figures. 'Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.' Shortly after, he wrote: 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.' 'In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,' he tweeted. Another X user replied, urging Musk to 'cool off and take a step back for a couple of days.' Musk replied: 'Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon.' Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. 'If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' Musk retweets an X user, who said: 'President vs Elon. Who wins? My money's on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him.' Musk tweets: 'The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year.' The point echoes a warning issued by many of the president's critics, from economists to pundits, but most notably his former presidential rival Kamala Harris. Musk tweets: 'Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.' Musk's last repost for the day came from an X user, who said: 'This is why Republicans will likely lose the House in 2026 and then Democrats will spend two years investigating and impeaching President Trump. 'Trump and the Republicans in Congress need to deliver. We want budget cuts. We want agencies shut down. We don't want big govt.' The following day, West Wing aides briefed the media that the two men were planning a private phone call to clear the air, only for the president himself to tell reporters that he had no interest in speaking to the man who had donated at least $288m to his election campaign just months earlier, leaving their once-close relationship in limbo. Trump told Jonathan Karl of ABC News he was 'not particularly' interested in talking to Musk and said to Dana Bash of CNN: 'I'm not even thinking about Elon. He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem.' With Trump and his administration subsequently shifting focus to the Los Angeles anti-ICE protests, the tech boss unexpectedly extends an olive branch. 'I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week,' Musk wrote on X in the small hours of the morning. 'They went too far.'
