As a 2024 presidential primary race between former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to heat up with speculation of a potential face-off between the two men, Rep. Byron Donalds has been thrown into the political pot of stew and accused of backing Gov. DeSantis over Trump.
Fox News Reporter Jacqui Heinrich tweeted on Saturday that a “House GOP source” had told her that Rep. Donalds was “actively telling Republican members he supports DeSantis over Trump” if the two Republican leaders were to challenge one another in the 2024 Republican presidential primary race.
Rep. Donalds responded to Heinrich’s tweet, calling her source a liar and saying that his “only focus” was his candidacy for Republican Conference Chair.
The Floridian spoke to no less than four Florida Republican congressional delegation members, who said that they have not heard Rep. Donalds speak of supporting DeSantis over Trump, or vice versa.
On November 6, Donalds, who is considered a staunched Trump loyalist, addressed thousands of MAGA supporters at President Donald Trump’s Miami rally in support of Senator Marco Rubio.
Donalds, who is seen as a potential future senatorial or gubernatorial candidate, said that the presumed Republican majority in Congress after November 8 was going to hold the Biden Administration “accountable” for their actions of the past two years.
“When the job is done. When its time to get back to work about the peoples’ business, we’re going to hold this administration accountable. We’re going to make them answer for why our border is not secure,” said Donalds. We’re going to make the answer for why parents have suddenly become domestic terrorists. We’re going to make the answer for why inflation has tripled in the United States.”
Days after the 2020 presidential election, Donalds tweeted his support for President Trump’s “legal fund to protect our election safeguards,” accusing Democrats or the “Left’s attempt to overthrow election integrity.”
But while Donalds has supported Trump and the America First Agenda, he has also supported DeSantis Florida First agenda and traveled to Tampa, Florida to take part in DeSantis’s election night victory ceremonies.
I'm a big fan of Jacqui Heinrich's reporting, but her "GOP source" is lying. My only focus is Tuesday's vote to become the next Chair of the GOP Conference. https://t.co/egYRPHqgu3
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) November 12, 2022
