Florida Rep. Byron Donalds on Thursday endorsed former President Donald Trump in a major snub of home state ally Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Donalds, a rising star on the far right wing of the GOP, said Trump stands alone as the one Republican who can take back the country in 2024.
“There is only one leader at this time in our nation’s history who can seize the moment and deliver what we need,” Donalds said. “(Trump will) get us back on track, provide strength and resolve, and Make America Great Again.”
Donalds decried problems like inflation and illegal immigration, which Republicans blame on President Joe Biden.
“2024 isn’t simply an election,” Donalds said. “It is an inflection point in our nation’s history, and it is an inflection point in world history.”
He has also firmly denounced Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for his investigation of Trump tied to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Donalds played a side role in the recent congressional drama surrounding the election of Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House.
He was one of the far-right conservatives who initially withheld support for McCarthy before the more mainstream candidate won on the 15th ballot. Donalds even collected a few anti-McCarthy protest votes himself.
Donalds represents a deep red district centered around the Gulf Coast city of Fort Myers that was devastated last year by Hurricane Ian. He met President Biden and DeSantis as the leaders vowed to work together on the recovery effort.
He has won a reputation as a plainspoken lawmaker and engaged in a good-natured verbal sparring match with Bronx Rep. Jamaal Bowman on the steps of the Capitol last month.
“It’s cool to have two people from my state (who could) be president,” Donalds said to Bowman. “You already know that (it’s) Trump and Ron.”
Donalds joins fellow Florida MAGA stalwarts Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna in backing Trump over DeSantis.
The popular governor might have been expected to win their support as the Sunshine state’s favorite son candidate, although Trump also considers himself a Florida resident after officially moving from New York.
Two lawmakers, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are backing DeSantis, even though he hasn’t announced his candidacy.
Trump appears to have won significant momentum among Republicans, as polls show him opening up a widening lead over DeSantis and other lesser candidates.
Republicans are rallying around the former president after he was indicted last week by a Manhattan grand jury on charges related to the hush money payments Trump made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
DeSantis has sought to walk a tightrope on that controversy, denouncing Bragg while noting that he “wouldn’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star.”
The prevarication enraged Trump’s army of supporters, who say DeSantis is disloyal for even considering a run against the former president.
