***UPDATE—There is a "Fake News" alert in Florida as the campaign of controversial gubernatorial "candidate" James Fishback is blatantly pushing a "Fake" meme on "X" claiming that both Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Rep. Byron Donalds will in fact be attending a forum with him that is sponsored by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida (RLC).
The RLC has now come out and called the meme fake.
"Byron Donalds, James Fishback, and Jay Collins to Appear on Stage Together at a Candidate Forum on Monday in Leesburg, FL," states the tweet.
This appears to be a bait and switch move by the Fishback campaign. The original RLC event promoting only mentions that Donalds and Collins were "invited" to attend.
Here is the RLC promotion:
Fishback's meme asserts both men will be there.
According to both the Donalds and Collins campaigns, this is patently false and appears to a stunt for the campaign to run with the narrative that Rep. Donalds and Lt. Gov. Collins refused to stand on a stage with him, or that they were afraid to debate Fishback.
The Donalds and Collins campaign have dismissed the remark, calling it "fake bullshit" and that they "never agreed to go."
Fishback recently had a falling out with a campaign advisor Christina Pushaw, where she preemptively distanced herself from the campaign.
Pushaw referred to Fishback as a liar, having a "disordered personality" and someone who was partaking in "fraudulent antics." Pushaw also states that she pushed back against his "extreme" rhetoric.
