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President Donald Trump reaffirmed his "full and total" support for Republican Congressman Byron Donalds in his campaign for governor of Florida, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social that generated thousands of reactions.
"Byron Donalds will be a truly great and powerful governor for Florida, and has my complete and total support: he will not let you down," wrote Trump, who also described the congressman as a "TOTAL WINNER" who has been "tested at the highest and toughest levels."
Donalds responded immediately on the same platform: "I am incredibly honored to earn the trust and support of President Donald J. Trump. I will never stop fighting for the state of Florida!"
Trump outlined in his message that, as governor, Donalds will work closely with him to advance the "America First" agenda, fight for border security, curb migrant crime, strengthen the Armed Forces, protect veterans, promote energy independence, reduce taxes and regulations, endorse "Made in the USA," and defend the Second Amendment.
His statement is a formal reaffirmation of the support he had previously expressed in February 2025, when he urged Donalds to run with the call "RUN, BYRON, RUN!", now that the Republican primaries are approaching, scheduled for August 18.
Donalds, 47, has been the representative for District 19 of Florida since 2021 and previously served in the state House from 2016 to 2020. He formally launched his gubernatorial campaign in March 2025 and has established himself as the clear favorite among the Republican ranks.
The figures support that position: in the first quarter of 2026, he raised a record $22.2 million, the highest amount for a non-incumbent candidate in Florida's history for governor, bringing his total to over $67 million.
Surveys place him between 44% and 54% in support among likely Republican voters, a figure that rises to 62% when Trump’s endorsement is mentioned.
The race is open-seat because Governor Ron DeSantis is constitutionally limited and cannot run for re-election.
Among Donalds' main Republican rivals is Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, a DeSantis ally, who announced his candidacy in January and raised only $1.74 million in the first quarter, and businessman James Fishback, who has faced public controversies and raised $276,000 during the same period.
A central axis of Donald's campaign is his hardline stance toward Cuba, which is relevant to the Cuban-American electorate in Florida, approximately 1.6 million people.
In April, he stated on the "Meet the Press" program on NBC that he supports "a total regime change in Cuba" and that he will not interfere with the decisions of Trump or Secretary of State Marco Rubio on this front.
In March, Donalds had been even more direct: "The regime must go. That is my vision." He added that "a free Cuba will be a great partner for Florida."
The general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026, where Donalds is already leading the Democrat Jerry Demings 43% to 36%, according to a poll from the University of North Florida.
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