Donald Trump endorsed Byron Donalds for Florida governor back in February.
Now a 30-year-old political newcomer thinks he can take down Trump's pick.
And three words just exposed why this unknown candidate will never win Trump's support for Florida Governor.
Political Nobody Launches Kamikaze Mission Against Trump's Choice
James Fishback filed paperwork Monday to challenge Congressman Byron Donalds in Florida's 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary.
The 30-year-old investment firm CEO from Madison held a press conference in Tallahassee to announce his campaign.
Within minutes, Fishback showed exactly why Trump will never endorse him.
"Byron Donalds is a slave," Fishback told reporters. "I'm sorry, he's a slave. He is a slave to his donors, he is a slave to the corporate interests, to the tech bros that want to turn our state into, in his own words, a financial capital."¹
https://twitter.com/j_fishback/status/1993001257825652834?s=20
Fishback called a Black Republican — who could become Florida's first Black governor — a slave.
The Donalds campaign dismissed Fishback as an "anti-Trump RINO" who will be "crushed in the Republican primary."²
"Byron Donalds will be Florida's next governor because he is the proven conservative fighter endorsed by President Trump," Ryan Smith, Donalds' chief strategist, said. "Anyone running against him is an anti-Trump RINO and will get crushed in the Republican primary."³
Fishback doubled down online, writing "Byron Donalds is a slave to his corporate donors. It's the truth."⁴
https://twitter.com/j_fishback/status/1993138658422235610?s=20
ABC Investigation Exposes Pattern of Credential Inflation
An ABC News investigation published Monday revealed Fishback has a history of exaggerating his political connections.
Multiple senior DOGE officials told ABC News that Fishback "never held any official or informal role advising Musk or the DOGE team, and that he was inflating his connection to the group."⁵
"The idea he had anything to do with DOGE is laughable," a former senior DOGE official said.⁶
Fishback gained brief fame earlier this year pitching "DOGE Dividends" — $5,000 payments to Americans funded by government savings.
He appeared on CNN, Fox News, and Newsmax labeled as a "DOGE adviser" despite having no official role.
When Elon Musk's spokesperson Katie Miller called him out on X, Fishback accused Musk of making his "employees lie."⁷
The ABC report revealed Fishback "made persistent private appeals" to Trump for a Federal Reserve Board seat, "calling Trump directly and circulating a memo touting himself as a potential 'bulldog fighter' on the Fed."⁸
Multiple sources told ABC he "exaggerated his chances and helped spark a news cycle suggesting he was under consideration, though senior officials say he never was."⁹
Trump named Stephen Miran to the position instead.
Fishback also faces an active lawsuit from his former employer Greenlight Capital alleging he misrepresented his role at the company.
A judge ordered him to pay nearly $230,000 in March 2024.¹⁰
In September, Fishback admitted to sharing confidential company information at least 33 times and maintaining an undisclosed personal trading account.¹¹
Fishback Polls at Zero Percent While Attacking Trump's Endorsed Candidate
A recent poll by American Promise shows Fishback capturing 0% support in the Republican primary.
Donalds leads with 43% support, while 51% of voters remain undecided.¹²
Fishback claimed he's "losing in the polls" to "a very fire brand candidate" called "undecided."
He brushed off questions about being a spoiler candidate siphoning votes from Donalds.
"It is a very serious campaign," Fishback insisted.¹³
But here's what makes Fishback's candidacy so bizarre.
He claims he wants Trump's endorsement despite attacking the candidate Trump already endorsed.
"I still hope to earn Trump's support in the August 2026 Republican primary," Fishback said.¹⁴
That's like punching someone in the face and then asking to be their best man.
Fishback has never voted in a Republican primary but now expects GOP voters to make him their nominee.
He admits he skipped voting while claiming he's the true conservative who will defend DeSantis' legacy.
The problem for Fishback isn't just his controversial rhetoric or his history of inflating credentials.
It's that he fundamentally misunderstands how Trump loyalty works.
https://twitter.com/WarlordDilley/status/1993330926990827792?s=20
Trump endorsed Donalds nine months ago — one of his earliest 2026 endorsements.
The president called Donalds "a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida" who will "work closely with me to advance our America First Agenda."¹⁵
Anyone who challenges Trump's endorsed candidate isn't fighting the establishment.
They're fighting Trump.
And in a Republican primary where Trump won Florida by 13 percentage points, that's political suicide.
Fishback can pitch all the populist policies he wants — eliminating property taxes, blocking H-1B visas, stopping AI data centers.
None of it matters when you're running against the candidate the president of the United States personally selected.
The Donalds campaign summed it up perfectly: Fishback is "an anti-Trump RINO" who will be "crushed."
Republican primary voters will decide in August 2026 whether they trust Trump's judgment or a 30-year-old who's never cast a vote in a GOP primary.
That's not really a choice at all.
¹ Christine Sexton, "James Fishback enters governor's race; hurls insults at leading Republican Byron Donalds," Florida Phoenix, November 24, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ James Fishback (@j_fishback), X, November 24, 2025.
⁵ Armando Garcia, et al., "Before challenging Trump's Florida governor pick, James Fishback sought Fed role, investments from Trump world," ABC News, November 23, 2025.
⁶ – ⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ C.A. Bridges, "Who is James Fishback? DOGE dividend creator runs for Florida governor," USA TODAY Network, November 24, 2025.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² Michelle Vecerina, "James Fishback launches GOP bid for Florida governor, targets Byron Donalds as race front-runner," Florida Voice News, November 24, 2025.
¹³ Sexton, Florida Phoenix.
¹⁴ Ibid.
¹⁵ NBC News, "Trump backs Rep. Byron Donalds in his likely run for Florida governor in 2026," February 20, 2025.
