Governor Ron DeSantis is in hot water with his own party.
The Florida Governor just made a decision that has some Republicans furious.
And Byron Donalds dropped this jaw-dropping truth bomb that left Ron DeSantis completely blindsided.
Byron Donalds calls out Governor DeSantis over shocking UF president pick
Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) isn’t holding back his criticism of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after the Governor defended the University of Florida’s controversial pick for its next president.
Dr. Santa Ono, the former University of Michigan President, was selected as the sole finalist for UF’s top position despite a troubling history of promoting radical DEI initiatives.
“I don’t know how this guy became the only finalist, but no, they need to go back to the drawing board,” Donalds declared during an appearance on Fox Business.
What makes this pick so controversial is Ono’s enthusiastic embrace of DEI policies while at Michigan.
During his inaugural address, Ono boasted about “DEI 1.0” and pushed for an even more aggressive “DEI 2.0” agenda at the university.
“In January, we released the results of our DEI 1.0 initiative, which made it clear that while we have made progress, and we have, that we still have much more to do,” Ono said at the time. “So, as we look to DEI 2.0, let us strive to nurture thoughtful and understanding citizens.”
Ono even claimed that “The University of Michigan has not been immune from participating in racism” and called climate change “the existential challenge of our time” – hitting all the woke talking points in one speech.
DeSantis defends controversial pick despite his anti-DEI crusade
What’s shocking many conservatives is that DeSantis – who made eliminating DEI from Florida universities a cornerstone of his agenda – is standing by the selection committee’s decision.
“I trust the people that were involved in that process. They were trustees that I’ve appointed that have performed exemplary for the state of Florida in those capacities,” DeSantis said during a press conference in Tampa.
The Governor attempted to explain away Ono’s past DEI advocacy by suggesting it was simply what university leaders had to do back then.
“I disagree with those comments, but I also understand that when we were leading against DEI, we were the only state to do so. It was everywhere. It was the price of admission to be involved in these universities at the time,” DeSantis claimed.
DeSantis also tried to spin the hiring as a win for Florida’s university system, noting that luring a president away from Michigan showed UF’s growing prestige.
“If we were here five years, 10 years ago, and I told you that the President of the University of Michigan was going to leave Michigan to come to Gainesville, most people probably would not think that that would be a move that someone would want to make, right?” DeSantis said.
Donalds isn’t having it
Donalds, who is running to replace DeSantis as Governor in 2026, isn’t buying these excuses.
“Just based upon what I heard, that president has no business being the president of the number one university in the State of Florida. We need to do better. It’s time to go back to the drawing board,” Donalds declared.
The Congressman reminded everyone that Florida has been at the forefront of removing radical leftist ideology from its universities.
“Governor DeSantis has led our state to be the number one university system in the country, part of it is getting rid of DEI, and the crazy ideology of the left,” Donalds said.
“We have been clear about DEI not being a pillar of our educational systems in Florida. I fully support the governor’s position on that,” Donalds added. “UF needs to go back and figure out somebody else. Don’t know this man, but based upon that speech and all the other things he said in the background, it just does not comport with the values of the State of Florida.”
The clash between DeSantis and Donalds reveals growing tension within Florida’s Republican leadership just as the 2026 gubernatorial race begins to heat up.
While Ono did eventually close Michigan’s DEI office after President Trump’s executive orders, many conservatives question whether his heart is truly in the fight against woke ideology in higher education.
