Trump endorsed Ron DeSantis for governor in December 2017 – when he was a little-known congressman with almost no name recognition – and he won his primary by 20 points.
Now Trump has done the same thing for Byron Donalds, and a brand new poll just confirmed the endorsement is already blowing the race wide open.
But there's a sideshow in this race that tells you everything about what the radical Left has done to American politics – and Byron Donalds just shut it down cold.
Trump's Seal of Approval Is Worth 19 Points
The University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab surveyed 657 likely Republican primary voters between February 16–20, and the numbers are staggering.
Without Trump's endorsement being mentioned, Donalds led the field at 28% – with first lady Casey DeSantis just behind at 24%, and hedge fund manager James Fishback stuck in the single digits at 4%.
Then pollsters told respondents about Trump's endorsement.
Donalds jumped to 47%.
Casey DeSantis collapsed to 12%.
Fishback barely moved to 5%.
"Given Trump's notoriety and high popularity among Republicans, an endorsement from him is likely to decide the race," said Dr. Sean Freeder, the poll's director, "especially when Donalds has the campaign funds to heavily advertise this advantage to voters."
https://twitter.com/ByronDonalds/status/2026296375671980043?s=20
Donalds has raised over $45 million.
Fishback raised under $19,000 by the end of last year.
That's not a race.
That's a landslide waiting to happen.
The Con Man Who Crashed the Party
James Fishback showed up uninvited to a Donalds event at Florida Gulf Coast University last week, demanded entry from campus police, asked officers whether he'd be arrested for approaching Donalds' vehicle, and ultimately scrawled a note on the hood of Donalds' car.
That's not a campaign.
That's a stunt desperate for a screenshot.
Donalds responded on X without flinching.
"You stole that plan from Kamala Harris," Donalds wrote, "just like you stole your whole gimmick from Nick Fuentes and Zohran Mamdani."
https://twitter.com/ByronDonalds/status/2025276128815185977?s=20
Then came the challenge: six months ago in Madison County, Fishback had Donalds face-to-face on stage for a full hour – with a lapel mic on, recording the whole thing.
"Be a man and release the tape," Donalds wrote. "You won't do it, because it will prove what we both know. You're no racist. You're no groyper. You're no anti-semite. You're what people hate about politics – performative slop."
"James = Con Man."
The Tape Fishback Won't Release
The Madison County challenge matters, because it cuts through everything Fishback has built his brand on.
His entire campaign runs on one trick: call Byron Donalds – a Black Republican – a "slave to donors," spell his name "By'rone," post that Donalds wants to turn Florida into "a Section 8 ghetto," and dare anyone to call it out.
When someone does call it out, Fishback claims he's being silenced by the establishment.
But Donalds isn't calling for Fishback to be silenced.
He's calling for the tape.
That's the move Fishback can't survive – because an hour of real debate footage would show Florida voters exactly what Donalds already told them: the racist act is just an act.
Florida Already Knows How This Ends
We've seen this movie before.
https://twitter.com/ByronDonalds/status/2025941085000757691?s=20
Trump endorsed a little-known Florida congressman named Ron DeSantis in December 2017.
DeSantis had almost no name recognition.
The political class laughed.
He won his primary by 20 points and went on to win the governorship twice.
Donalds has already outrun that template.
He carried his congressional district at 66.3% – outperforming Trump's own margin in the same race.
He's raised $45 million.
He has Trump on his side and a poll that shows a 19-point surge the moment Republican voters hear the endorsement.
And if Donalds wins, he becomes the first Black governor in Florida history – not because of a quota or a DEI checklist, but because he's the best candidate in the field by every measure that actually matters.
https://twitter.com/IAPolls2022/status/2026279899225317635?s=20
Fishback's stunt at FGCU – the note on the car, the questions about getting arrested, the whole circus – told you everything about where his campaign is headed.
Donalds gave him one way out: release the tape.
He won't. Because the tape shows a guy who had his shot, said nothing, and is now making noise because noise is all he has left.
Sources:
- Frank Kopylov, "Byron Donalds slams rival James Fishback as 'Performative Slop' after campus confrontation attempt," Florida News, February 23, 2026.
- Frank Kopylov, "POLL: Byron Donalds surges to commanding lead in Florida GOP gubernatorial primary after Trump endorsement," Florida News, February 24, 2026.
- Paul Steinhauser, "Trump backed Donalds on his run to succeed DeSantis as Florida governor," Fox News, March 29, 2025.
- "Endorsements by Donald Trump," Ballotpedia, updated February 17, 2026.
- "James Fishback," Wikipedia, February 2026.
