Several prominent references to President Trump have disappeared from Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds’ campaign website in recent weeks. Donalds, however, said Wednesday that the revisions do not signal a retreat from the president’s political agenda.
Speaking at the Sunshine Economy Summit, Donalds said his campaign had been planning the website overhaul for roughly two months. He said the updated site is designed to highlight the issues he expects to emphasize in the general election, including the rising cost of living and affordability.
“These are the issues we talk about every day on the campaign trail,” Donalds told Tom Hudson of public media organization WLRN. He said Florida voters want a clear understanding of the policies a candidate would pursue to improve their lives, adding that the campaign wanted the website to reflect its “vision and policies for the future of Florida.”
When asked whether removing the phrase “enact the Trump agenda” from the site’s list of top priorities meant he was backing away from that goal, Donalds replied, “No, I think that’s a separate question.”
Donalds described Trump’s platform as a “common-sense agenda” focused on law and order, stable markets and stronger border security. He also pointed to continued cooperation with the federal government on immigration policy.
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance hosted the summit, which also included an interview with Democratic nominee David Jolly, Donalds’ opponent in the governor’s race.
Until recently, Donalds’ close alliance with Trump was a central feature of his campaign’s online presence. An archived version of the website from earlier this month showed the homepage repeatedly highlighting Trump’s endorsement, along with a photograph of the president and the congressman posing with thumbs raised. The site’s “Issues” page was also headed by a pledge to “Enact the Trump Agenda.”
Trump’s endorsement remains visible in a rotating list of support from conservative figures, and the site still notes Donalds’ work as a 2024 Trump campaign surrogate. But the president’s name appears far less often. The “Issues” page no longer mentions Trump and instead opens with the slogan, “Accountable, Achievable, Affordable!”
The website changes were first reported Tuesday by the Miami Herald. They quickly attracted national attention and fueled speculation that Donalds might be trying to create more distance from the president.
Donalds has nevertheless remained closely aligned with Trump for years. Before the 2024 Republican primary, he backed Trump over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Trump endorsed Donalds last year, shortly before the congressman formally launched his campaign for governor.
“Byron Donalds would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida and, should he decide to run, will have my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump said at the time. “RUN, BYRON, RUN!”
