Rep. Byron Donalds landed President Trump's endorsement in the 2026 race to succeed Ron DeSantis as Florida governor
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took to social media on Tuesday to share a photo from a golf outing he and his wife, first lady Casey DeSantis, had with President Donald Trump this past weekend.
The move by DeSantis comes as the race to succeed the term-limited conservative governor heats up, with Trump ally Rep. Bryon Donalds announcing his candidacy after landing the president's endorsement, and the high-profile first lady acknowledging she's considering a 2026 run.
Trump and Florida's first couple had breakfast together this past weekend at the president's West Palm Beach golf course, and also played a round of golf.
".@CaseyDeSantisteeing off at Trump Int’l in Palm Beach (made birdie on the hole). Casey and @realDonaldTrump had no trouble winning the match…," the governor wrote in a post on his political account on X.
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A Republican source in Florida confirms to Fox News that the governor and first lady used their morning with Trump, in part, to appeal to the president to not further engage in the gubernatorial race beyond his initial endorsement of Donalds.
The president, who moved his primary residence to Florida in 2019, two weeks ago took to social media to write that Donalds – who was a major surrogate for Trump on the 2024 campaign trail – "would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida."
Trump added that Donalds, "should he decide to run, will have my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, BYRON, RUN!"
WATCH: BYRON DONALDS ANNOUNCES RUN FOR GOVERNOR IN FOX NEWS CHANNEL APPEARANCE
Donalds announced his candidacy a week later, in an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity."
The conservative former state lawmaker, who has represented parts of southwest Florida in Congress for four years, had been eyeing a potential gubernatorial bid for nearly a year.
"I’ve thought about it. I don’t really rule anything out," Donalds said in a Fox News Digital interview last spring when asked about a possible run for governor.
Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), in National Harbor, Maryland, on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump and DeSantis have a long but at times combustible political history.
The president backed then-Rep. DeSantis successful 2018 run for governor and the two were allies for a couple of years. But the two GOP heavyweights waged a bitter battle in 2023 and early last year during a very combative and divisive 2024 GOP presidential nomination race. They seemed to make peace after Trump quickly clinched the nomination during the primaries, and DeSantis helped raise funds for Trump during the general election.
After Donalds jumped into the race, DeSantis seemed to criticize the congressman, saying at a news conference that "I think people look at it and say you’ve got a guy like Byron, he just hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we’ve had here over the left over these last years."
Since he made those comments, the governor has refrained from criticizing Donalds, but has repeatedly touted his wife's accomplishments as Florida first lady and framing her as a worthy successor.
Florida Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis walks alongside his wife, Casey DeSantis, and son, Mason, while marching in the Wolfeboro Independence Day Parade in New Hampshire on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)
Casey DeSantis last week stoked speculation when asked by reporters if she would run.
"To quote the late Yogi Berra," DeSantis said as she reiterated a famous line from the late baseball legend. "If you see a fork in the road, take it."
The governor then quipped to reporters that "you guys can read into that what you will."
Fox News last week also confirmed that Gov. DeSantis was reaching out to donors on behalf of his wife.
Asked about Casey DeSantis, Donald told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" host Maria Bartiromo this past weekend that "I remember back in 2018 campaigning for then-Congressman DeSantis, who had the support of Donald Trump, and that worked out great for our state. So, in 2025, moving into 2026, I am really honored to have the same support from President Trump."
"He has a history of making good picks, and I think his picks have always worked out for the Sunshine State," Donald emphasized.
And he added that "we will worry about the primaries as other people decide to get in the race or not, but we are going to be focused on Floridians."
While Florida was once a top general election battleground, it's now firmly red - DeSantis won re-election in 2022 by nearly 20 points and Trump carried the state in November by 13 points - and the eventual winner of the GOP primary will be considered the front-runner in next year's gubernatorial election.
