In addition to being on the campaign trail for former President Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection bid, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) has also been included on some early short lists for vice president, should Trump win the Republican nomination.
Donalds, 44, told Breitbart News that he would “of course” embrace the position if Trump offered it to him.
“If it came up? Oh yeah, of course, because you have the opportunity to do really powerful things for the country and really help shape the country,” Donalds said. “But I’m a member of Congress. I just do my job. I let everybody else speculate on the other stuff.”
Donalds, one of five black Republicans in Congress, was raised in the inner borough of Brooklyn by a single mother and is now regarded as a rising figure within his party.
Due to his extensive financial and banking experience, the Florida Republican is a member of the Financial Services Committee and has participated in the Oversight Committee’s most well-known investigation into the Biden family’s financial practices.
In May, Donalds appeared on a CNN panel after Trump’s heated town hall with the outlet, delivering what appeared to be his party’s de facto response to the ordeal. Donalds said moderator Kaitlan Collins spent “more time interjecting her own viewpoints” during the event. Upon being interrupted, Donalds fired back, “Are you guys now going to interject your opinions on me or do I get a chance?”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) wrote on social media later that month, “Retweet this if you believe my friend [Byron Donalds] would be an excellent choice for vice president.”
In May, following Trump’s contentious town hall with CNN, Donald Trump appeared on a CNN panel and provided what appeared to be his party’s de facto response to the situation. Donalds asserted that moderator Kaitlan Collins spent “more time interjecting her own viewpoints” during the discussion. Donalds retaliated when he was interrupted by asking, “Are you guys going to interject your opinions on me now, or do I get a chance?”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) posted a message on social media later that month asking followers to “Retweet this if you think my friend [Byron Donalds] would make a great choice for Vice President.”
Retweet this if you think my friend @RepDonaldsPress @ByronDonalds would make a great choice for Vice President.
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) May 24, 2023
Burchett informed The Daily Beast, which at the time noted Donalds’ rising vice presidential potential, that the tweet’s inspiration came from “the heart.”
In January, when approximately twenty members opposed then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) bid for the position, Donalds, who is completing his second term in office, arose as the alternate candidate.
Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), a Trump supporter and colleague from Florida, said of Donald Trump, “I can tell you that he is probably one of the most competent members of Congress.”
Breitbart News quotes Mills as saying that Donalds would be “someone who would be a great balance for President Trump.”
Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) said in a statement, “We absolutely see him as a candidate for a larger position in the future. He is dedicated to service. “He is the party’s future.”
Cammack, a vocal member and close friend of Donalds, joked that the “hottest rising star” is actually “from FL-03.”
More on this story via The Republic Brief:
Donalds recently made an appearance in Philadelphia alongside Trump, who continues to lead the GOP primary field by a huge majority in almost all polls. CONTINUE READING…
