The Left’s divisive playbook finally got exposed.
One conservative leader connected all the dots.
And Byron Donalds dropped one truth bomb about the Left that has Democrats scrambling for cover.
Florida congressman traces political violence back to critical race theory
Rep. Byron Donalds didn’t mince words when asked about the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the text messages where Virginia Democrat Jay Jones fantasized about shooting his Republican opponent.¹
Speaking at the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors Summit in Orlando on Saturday, the Florida congressman drew a direct line from critical race theory to left-wing political violence.²
"There’s been a dehumanization, especially on the political Left, where if they can’t find a way to defeat your argument, they have to name call you, try to discredit you, dehumanize you, in order to get on even footing," Donalds told The Daily Signal.³
Donalds is running for Florida governor in 2026 with President Trump’s endorsement, and he’s not backing down from the cultural battles that DeSantis started.⁴
The congressman warned that this dehumanizing rhetoric proves "quite destructive" because "mentally ill" people act on the vitriol.⁵
Look, here’s what Donalds figured out that Democrats don’t want you connecting – when you spend years telling people their political opponents are evil incarnate and existential threats to democracy, eventually someone takes you seriously enough to act on it.
The Left created this climate. Charlie Kirk paid the price for it.
And now conservatives are done playing defense.
Donalds said Jones’ text messages about shooting his opponent "disqualified" the Democrat from becoming "the top cop in the state of Virginia."⁶
He predicted the scandal would "drag down" other Democrats in the Old Dominion.⁷
But Donalds didn’t stop at condemning the violence – he laid out exactly what he plans to do about the organizations fueling it.
https://twitter.com/RepDonaldsPress/status/1975247702179955028
Donalds pledges criminal investigations into Antifa networks
If elected governor, Donalds promised to investigate the left-wing groups orchestrating Antifa rioters.⁸
"The truth is that these left-wing groups are highly organized, highly financed," Donalds explained. "This stuff is not organic—it is the definition of astroturf. It’s done on purpose, it’s done to intimidate, it’s done to try to silence people who have different worldviews."⁹
Here’s where this gets serious for the professional activists hiding behind "grassroots" labels.
Donalds credited Governor Ron DeSantis with deciding to "battle the Left, battle the medical establishment during COVID, battling back and winning against the teachers unions."¹⁰
But Donalds pledged to "build on top of that success" by pursuing "further investigations" into left-wing violence.¹¹
The legal framework exists for exactly this kind of prosecution. RICO statutes – the same tools that brought down organized crime families – apply to coordinated criminal enterprises.
Asset forfeiture laws allow investigators to follow the money trail.
President Trump already designated MS-13, drug cartels, and Antifa as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
That unlocks surveillance powers, financial tracking capabilities, and international cooperation that didn’t exist before.
Donalds would have the full weight of Florida law enforcement to investigate who’s funding these riots, who’s organizing the violence, and who’s laundering money through nonprofit organizations to fuel attacks on conservative speakers and events.
Some very nervous George Soros-backed organizations are about to find out what happens when a governor with prosecutorial intent starts asking uncomfortable questions about their funding sources.
Black conservative dismantles critical race theory’s core lie
Donalds, who is black, wholeheartedly condemned critical race theory as a Marxist lens that teaches children America is systemically racist and demands fundamental transformation of society.¹²
"You can’t have something like critical race theory be the baseline of academics in elementary school, middle school, high school," Donalds stated. "It can’t just run companies, you can’t have it run divisions of your firms, your organizations. That’s nuts."¹³
The congressman acknowledged America’s complicated history with race but insisted critical race theory twists the truth to divide Americans for political gain.
"We know America’s history. It’s not always been good, especially for black people in the country," he admitted. "But to say today that black people are still in that same position as they were 70 years ago, 90 years ago, 100 years ago, 150 years ago, is also ridiculous, and we don’t need to be permeating a division between Americans today. It’s just not right."¹⁴
Donalds said America should focus on "equality of access" and merit, declaring that "Merit is going to be the great driver of America, not just today, but going forward into the future."¹⁵
Then Donalds delivered the observation that obliterates the Left’s entire race-baiting strategy.
He pointed out that multiple black Republicans – including himself, Wesley Hunt of Texas, Burgess Owens of Utah, and John James of Michigan – represent majority-white districts.¹⁶
Senator Tim Scott represents South Carolina, a predominantly white state.¹⁷
"These are the facts," Donalds said.¹⁸
Translation: If America is the systemically racist hellscape that CRT claims, how exactly did black conservatives get elected by white voters in districts across the country?
The answer destroys the Left’s narrative, which is exactly why they’re so desperate to keep pushing CRT in schools.
If young people learn to judge others by merit and character instead of skin color, the Democrat Party loses its most reliable wedge issue.
Donalds accused the Left of pushing critical race theory to divide Americans "for political gain," adding: "If it wasn’t profitable on the Left politically, they wouldn’t even care about it. They’d throw it overboard like they did Joe Biden."¹⁹
That last line cuts right to the bone.
Democrats will abandon any principle, any ally, any ideology the moment it stops delivering votes.
Critical race theory survives only because it still works to keep people angry, divided, and voting Democrat.
Parental rights movement positions Donalds for 2026 victory
Donalds spoke at the Moms for Liberty summit, telling The Daily Signal that parental rights started in Florida, proved essential in Virginia’s 2021 election, and will continue driving political outcomes.²⁰
The congressman said parents want "full transparency" regarding what their children learn, adding: "I think the days of them just being led around by the nose, by the medical establishment, or the education establishment—those days are over, and we’re not going to go back to them."²¹
This isn’t just campaign rhetoric – it’s strategic positioning for a gubernatorial race Donalds currently dominates.
Recent polling shows Donalds leading all Republican primary challengers with 39% support.²²
In a head-to-head matchup against Casey DeSantis – who many expect Governor DeSantis to support – Donalds leads 47% to 21%.²³
Moms for Liberty endorsed 113 school board candidates in 2024, with 61% winning their races.²⁴
The organization represents exactly the grassroots energy Donalds needs to win the Republican primary and general election.
By connecting Kirk’s assassination, CRT’s divisive ideology, and Antifa’s organized violence into a coherent narrative, Donalds is doing what Trump taught Republicans to do – go on offense.
DeSantis banned critical race theory from Florida schools in 2022.²⁵ Donalds pledges to investigate and prosecute the networks funding the violence that flows from that toxic ideology.
That’s not just continuing DeSantis’ legacy – that’s escalating from education policy to criminal justice.
It’s the difference between playing defense on culture war issues and going after the Left’s institutional power structure.
For parents who’ve been fighting school boards over CRT, for conservatives who watched Charlie Kirk get assassinated for his beliefs, and for Americans sick of watching left-wing mobs riot with impunity – Donalds is promising something they desperately want: accountability.
Whether he delivers on that promise depends on winning in November 2026.
But he’s running in a state Trump won by 13 points,²⁶ with the President’s endorsement, against a divided Democrat Party still reeling from their 2024 wipeout.
The smart money says Florida’s next governor will be investigating Antifa funding networks while the Left scrambles to figure out what hit them.
¹ Tyler O’Neil, "Black Republican Eviscerates Critical Race Theory," The Daily Signal, October 20, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Mitch Perry, "Byron Donalds is running for governor. With Trump’s backing, can anyone stop him?" Florida Phoenix, February 26, 2025.
⁵ Tyler O’Neil, "Black Republican Eviscerates Critical Race Theory," The Daily Signal, October 20, 2025.
⁶ – ²¹ Ibid.
²² A.G. Gancarski, "Byron Donalds continues to dominate Jay Collins, Paul Renner in GOP Primary Poll," Florida Politics, October 16, 2025.
²³ Ibid.
²⁴ "Moms for Liberty to Help Elect 2025 School Board Candidates," Moms for Liberty, January 14, 2025.
²⁵ Christina Pushaw, "Florida’s governor signs controversial bill banning critical race theory in schools," WPTV, April 22, 2022.
²⁶ "2026 Florida gubernatorial election," Wikipedia, accessed October 21, 2025.
