Another GOP candidate tries to distance himself from Trump

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN

(CNN) — The GOP candidate for Florida governor, Rep. Byron Donalds, has removed several references to Donald Trump from his campaign website, as a growing number of Republicans try to distance themselves from the unpopular president ahead of elections taking place this fall.

Earlier this month, the landing page of the campaign website touted the fact that Trump had endorsed Donalds, proclaiming him a “Trump-endorsed Proven Conservative Fighter,” and included a photo of Trump with Donalds and his wife, according to an archived version of the site captured by the Internet Archive.

Now, a new version of the site features Trump’s endorsement less prominently in a moving carousel of quotes praising Donalds that includes comments from tech billionaire Elon Musk, the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, among others. Trump’s endorsement is also noted in a separate part of the website called “Endorsements.” That change and other removals of Trump’s name were first reported by the Miami Herald.

A Donalds campaign spokesperson dismissed the importance of the website changes in a statement, saying Donalds “is proud to have President Trump’s endorsement, and has real policy proposals” to tackle the issues most important to Floridians.

In a statement to CNN, White House spokesman Davis Ingle didn’t directly address the changes. “President Trump is the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party,” he said.

The change comes as Republicans contend with the possibility that Trump’s unpopularity may cut into their election results in November, and break with the figure that has dominated the party for a decade. Another Florida Republican, Rep. María Elvira Salazar, has released an ad saying Trump’s immigration crackdown had “gone too far.” Last week, two vulnerable House Republicans from Iowa voted for the first time to rein in Trump’s Iran war powers. A new CNN/SSRS poll finds only 26% of Americans say they approve of the president’s handling of the situation in Iran.

Donalds, a staunch conservative who is hoping to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis and become the Sunshine State’s first Black governor, is facing former Rep. David Jolly, who left the Republican Party in 2018 and officially became a Democrat last year.

While a Democrat hasn’t won the Florida governor seat in nearly three decades, CNN previously reported that some Donalds supporters were uneasy after he clinched the Republican nomination with just under 50% of the vote, despite campaigning for more than a year with Trump’s endorsement and the backing of much of the state GOP establishment.

Meanwhile, Democrats are on the offensive, hoping to capitalize on Trump’s unpopularity and pick up wins in states like Kansas, Texas and Florida. Trump’s approval is around 36%, according to the CNN Poll of Polls, which tracks Trump’s average approval and disapproval ratings in national polls.

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CNN’s Patrick Svitek and Annie Grayer contributed to this report.