Trump Announces Florida Rallies for Byron Donalds Amid Endorsement Row

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that two rallies are already scheduled in Florida to support U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the Republican candidate for governor. The announcement comes after reports surfaced suggesting Donalds was distancing himself from the president by removing prominent references to his endorsement from the campaign’s website.

Rallies Scheduled Across State

"Two Rallies are already scheduled in Florida for Byron and, will be, as always, 'SOLD OUT!' Trump wrote on social media. The president is holding a rally in Mobile, Alabama this Friday that’s intended to reach voters in Florida’s Panhandle media market as well, according to an announcement by the Republican National Committee.

Vice President J.D. Vance is attending a rally in support of Florida’s Republican candidates in Lakeland on Thursday. It was not immediately clear what days Trump himself might visit the state during these upcoming events designed to boost voter turnout for the gubernatorial race.

Website Changes Spark Controversy

The political friction began when Donalds’ campaign rolled out a new website that removed prominent references to Trump’s endorsement and a photo of them together from its homepage. The changes occurred as polls show increasing dissatisfaction with Trump’s ongoing war with Iran. Additionally, the updates came just days after Miami Rep. María Elvira Salazar issued a new campaign ad criticizing Trump’s detention and deportation efforts.

Speaking to reporters in Miami Beach on Saturday morning, Donalds stated "of course" he would campaign with the president when he comes to Florida. He described having the president visit as providing "that little bit, that last, that jolt of energy to make sure people get out and vote."

Donalds explained that his team had already made plans to shift the website focus specifically to Florida following the August primary. He noted that Trump’s endorsement remains touted on a separate landing page on the new site, as this newspaper reported in Byron Donalds Selects State Sen. Bryan Ávila for Florida Lt. Gov..

Diplomatic Tensions in Campaign Messaging

Tensions escalated when Donalds told reporters Saturday morning, "It's a stupid story. Nobody cares. He doesn't care," regarding claims of estrangement from Trump. Within an hour, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to post a nearly 500-word diatribe about the news coverage.

"Another Fake Story is that a very close friend of mine, a man I endorsed very early, Byron Donalds, is taking me off his website and Campaign materials," Trump wrote. He added that the story was justification for recent efforts to bar some news outlets from the White House, warning: "If Florida thought the story that Byron 'dropped' me was true, he would lose the Election."

Donalds emphasized that affordability concerns dominating Florida’s governor's race should focus on candidates running in the state rather than the person in the White House. He stated, "I'm doing that messaging. I'm the one asking for the votes for the people of Florida to be their governor," as he navigates a challenging electoral environment complicated by backlash among some segments of the Republican base.