Donald Trump is unraveling over reports one of his favorite candidates dropped him ahead of the midterms.
In a rambling 449-word screed posted to Truth Social, the octogenarian president denied that Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds was distancing himself from Trump.
“Another Fake Story is that a very close friend of mine, a man I endorsed very early, Byron Donalds, is taking me off his website and Campaign materials,” Trump began, before pivoting to his favorite topic.
“I won Florida by Millions of Votes, getting the Highest Vote Tally in History — Three times! My numbers are better now than they were at the Election,” he wrote, ignoring his cratering approval rating.
The president offered no explanation for why Donalds’ website has been fully revamped with a lot less Trump on it.
Screenshots of the website before and after the makeover clearly show there is significantly less emphasis on Trump’s endorsement, as his popularity among the MAGA faithful is less appealing to a broader audience.
Despite the photographic evidence to the contrary, Trump insisted the stories were “fake news.”
“Two Rallies are already scheduled in Florida for Byron and, will be, as always, “SOLD OUT!” This was a Fake Story, with no sources, and the only justification for it is they want to stop my ever upward momentum,” he claimed in his attack, posted to Truth Social amid a 32-post spree.
Republicans across the country have been quietly removing Trump’s image and endorsement from their materials as poll after poll shows the public’s deep disappointment in the president.
Recent polling in Florida suggests that Donalds, the serving congressman in the state’s 19th district, was considered to be a shoo-in for the majority of the campaign, but is now facing real competition.
His opponent, Democrat David Jolly, is neck and neck with Donalds in the race for the governorship of the president’s adopted home state, with Decision Desk HQ designating the race a “toss up.”
Another Florida Republican, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, released an ad targeting the Miami constituents in her majority-Hispanic district where she called out Trump’s immigration policies as having “gone too far” from the steps of the White House.
Donalds issued a statement saying he was “proud to have President Trump’s endorsement,” but did not address the dropped references to Trump, or photographs of him being scrubbed from his website.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
