Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds launched an updated campaign website that in part removed multiple prominent references to President Donald Trump. ©Douglas R. CliffordFlorida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds launched an updated campaign website this week, stripping away numerous prominent references to his endorsement from Donald Trump as the president’s approval ratings hit new lows. Donalds’ campaign website was previously dominated by references to his Trump endorsement. A button to “Chip in to Support Trump Endorsed Byron Donalds” was at the top of the homepage. “TRUMP-ENDORSED Proven Conservative Fighter. BYRON DONALDS” was the page’s main text. A yellow banner reading “ENDORSED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP!” marked the middle of the homepage and a prominent section quoting Trump’s 2025 endorsement said “RUN, BYRON, RUN!” All of those mentions were stripped away from his updated website. His campaign also removed a photo of Donalds and wife Erika Donalds posing with Trump. Trump’s endorsement is now only listed in a rolling banner of conservative endorsements from others, including Elon Musk, Sen. Rick Scott, Speaker Mike Johnson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Charlie Kirk and others, with no outsize prominence on the website’s homepage. Trump’s endorsement and Donalds’ photo with the president are now featured on a separate endorsements landing page instead. On a landing page detailing Donalds’ agenda, the congressman removed what was previously listed first among his priorities: Enact the Trump Agenda. Now, affordability is the first issue on the page, and Trump’s name is nowhere to be found. According to the website tracking service Visualping, Donalds’ campaign stripped at least eight references to Trump from his homepage. Previously, the second topic listed on his issues webpage was “Fight Illegal Immigration.” That agenda item is no longer prominently featured. Instead, his updated website says he wants to “stop taxpayer handouts to illegal immigration” under the seventh listed issue, “Law and Order.” Donalds, who is running against Democrat David Jolly, is the latest Republican candidate to distance himself from Trump as polls show the president’s approval rating hitting record lows, the U.S. war with Iran drags into its eighth month and gas prices continue rising. Miami Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar launched a new campaign ad last week blasting the Trump administration’s approach to mass immigrant detention and deportation. “Our campaign website reflects Byron’s focus on the issues that matter most to Floridians — affordability, insurance costs, and government transparency,” campaign spokesperson Gates McGavick said in a statement about the changes. “He’s running to be the next Governor of Florida, is proud to have President Trump’s endorsement, and has real policy proposals to tackle those issues. Meanwhile, David Jolly is all sound bites, no depth, and no policy.” Donalds made Trump’s endorsement the linchpin of his campaign in 2025 as he sought to win over Republican primary voters, with almost all campaign messaging referring to him as “Trump-endorsed Byron Donalds.” But during his primary victory night speech in Orlando last month, Donalds didn’t mention Trump at all onstage, despite bestowing praise on other Republican leaders like Scott. Update: This story has been updated with additional information about where Trump is featured on the Donalds campaign website. • • • Tampa Bay Times Election Coverage How David Jolly won the Democratic nomination for Florida governor How Byron Donalds won the Florida GOP nomination for governor 5 takeaways from the St. Petersburg mayoral primary results While other progressives lost in Florida, Angie Nixon won. Why?
3 reasons why Byron Donalds could win Florida’s governor’s race 3 reasons why David Jolly could win Florida’s governor’s race This article originally appeared on Tampa Bay Times at https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/elections/2026/09/22/byron-donalds-donald-trump-approval-rating-governor-endorsement/