President Donald Trump on Thursday publicly supported Republican Rep. Byron Donalds’ likely bid for Florida governor in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Donalds has not yet announced, but NBC News reported<\/a> last month that he is telling donors that he will run for the seat, which is being vacated by Republican Ron DeSantis, who is term-limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donalds is among Trump\u2019s biggest congressional supporters, and he was expected to get Trump\u2019s backing, even if the public show of support came sooner than many anticipated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know Byron well, have seen him tested at the highest most difficult levels, and he is a TOTAL WINNER!\u201d Trump posted<\/a> on Truth Social Thursday. \u201cAs Governor, Byron would have a BIG Voice and would work closely with me to advance our America First Agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While no major candidate has formally filed to run for governor in 2026, both Donalds and Casey DeSantis have been viewed as potential GOP frontrunners. Casey DeSantis, the first lady of Florida, earlier this month signaled she was considering a run \u2014 a prospect that was openly discussed at a donor event in Palm Beach County, as NBC News reported.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump\u2019s endorsement is a huge win for Donalds. Trump won Florida by 13 percentage points, lives in the state and is widely seen as the most powerful influence over the state\u2019s Republican politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent days, DeSantis himself has been making calls \u2014 including to Tallahassee-based lobbyists with clients before his administration \u2014 about his wife’s potential run for governor \u2014 two people familiar with the conversations <\/strong>told NBC News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe was absolutely starting to make calls on this,\u201d a donor who spoke with DeSantis directly said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if that changed Byron\u2019s timeline at all, but the sitting governor was starting to make calls, it seems to have really kicked this race off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n DeSantis\u2019 office did not return a request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DeSantis had been looking for a candidate to support in 2026, something that the most current likely field \u2014 barring his wife’s entrance \u2014 did not offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He and Donalds have been at odds after Donalds backed Trump in the 2024 presidential primary, and state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, another rumored candidate, has fought with DeSantis over a host of issues, most recently immigration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s unclear how the Trump endorsement will impact Casey DeSantis’ thought process on running in 2026, but some view it as something that could make her re-think getting in the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe will need to process things and go through the stages of grief, but ultimately they will decide she\u2019s not going to run,\u201d a veteran GOP Florida lobbyist said. \u201cTrump just won this state by 15 points and throttled DeSantis in a national election. They know their brand cant take another loss to Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond Trump\u2019s explicit endorsement, Donalds earlier this week unveiled a list of heavyweight GOP supporters \u2014 names that Trump himself amplified<\/a> on Truth Social. The list included South Florida GOP mega donor Max Alvarez, lobbyist Brian Ballard \u2014 who has close ties to both Trump and DeSantis \u2014 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and tech billionaire David Sacks, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump also included a poll that showed Donalds with a commanding lead in a hypothetical 2026 race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some in Trump\u2019s orbit continue to also see Casey DeSantis through the lens of a longtime rivalry between Trump and DeSantis. Trump endorsed DeSantis\u2019 first gubernatorial bid in 2018 \u2014 which gave him a huge boost \u2014 but some Trump defenders saw DeSantis then running for president in 2024 as a betrayal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n