USA · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Byron Donalds Removes Trump References From Florida Governor Campaign Website
Byron Donalds removed Trump references from his Florida governor campaign website. The site no longer mentions Trump's endorsement or related praise.
12 outlets told this the same way.
6 of 9 outlets skipped it: visualping tracked removal of at least eight Trump mentions.
12outlets compared
Florida candidate dials back
Rep. Byron Donalds removed several references to Donald Trump from his campaign website as the GOP governor race in Florida heads toward elections taking place this fall.
The earlier landing page of Donalds’ campaign website touted that Trump had endorsed him as a “Trump-endorsed Proven Conservative Fighter,” and it included a photo of Trump with Donalds and his wife.
The updated site features Trump’s endorsement less prominently in a moving carousel of quotes praising Donalds, and it also notes the endorsement in a separate part of the website called “Endorsements.”
A Donalds campaign spokesperson dismissed the importance of the website changes, saying Donalds “is proud to have President Trump’s endorsement, and has real policy proposals” to tackle issues most important to Floridians.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle did not directly address the changes, saying, “President Trump is the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party.”
Scrubbed banners and photos
Donalds’ website overhaul removed prominent Trump references, and the updated version stripped away a button that had asked supporters to “Chip in to Support Trump Endorsed Byron Donalds.” The homepage previously carried a yellow banner reading “ENDORSED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP!” and a highlighted endorsement message saying “RUN, BYRON, RUN!” The updated site removed a photo of Donalds and his wife, Erika Donalds, posing with Trump, and it relegated Trump’s endorsement to a rolling banner of conservative endorsements from other figures.
The updated agenda page no longer lists “Enact the Trump Agenda,” and it instead places affordability first on the issues page. Gates McGavick said the campaign website reflects “Byron’s focus on the issues that matter most to Floridians — affordability, insurance costs, and government transparency.”
Tight race, shifting alliances
Donalds wanted “anyone who would listen to know that he was endorsed by President Donald Trump,” before the website changes. Donalds’ updated website was stripped of almost every mention of Trump, and it cited Visualping research showing the removal of at least eight mentions of Trump from the homepage. Sabato’s Crystal Ball moved the open Florida governor’s race from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican,” and it linked the shift to close polling and a “bad political environment.”
““Byron Donalds is desperately trying to go no-contact.””
Donalds erased all references to Trump on Sept. Evan Ecklund, a Florida Democratic Party spokesperson, called the purge “trouble in paradise” for Republicans and said, “Byron Donalds is desperately trying to go no-contact.”