Six months ahead of the Florida gubernatorial elections, FGCU’s Turning Point USA chapter hosted U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida, to speak to students interested in politics. The congressman was originally coming for a business event in Lutgert Hall, but when TPUSA reached out, he made the time to meet before that obligation.

“He represents the people of Southwest Florida, so I think being able to speak to the people directly is definitely an honor for us and I think an honor for him as our representative,” TPUSA’s president Hannah Winter said. “I’m a freshman, so I’m pretty young and having such a large event at such a young age and running it and throwing it was stressful but super exciting.”

Donalds opened the speech by explaining what got him into politics: noticing that those in power at the time “didn’t know what they were talking about.” A big focus of his visit was the Q&A session. Before he took audience questions, he offered advice to college students interested in getting involved in politics. 

“If you want to move a society, if you want to win the day in politics, you have to engage, you have to be involved, you have to pay attention, you have to do your research, and then also you have to challenge your own worldviews,” Donalds said.

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One of the biggest concerns about Donalds’ campaign is his plan to implement artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in Florida. This question was brought up.

“Data centers are going to be a function of American life going forward, the more you use technology, the more server space that you’re going to need,” Donalds said in response. “I think when it comes to technology, AI and everything else, Florida should lead.”

Donalds also made his position clear on antisemitism, a much-discussed subject on the campaign trail.

“When it comes to antisemitism, I don’t tolerate it just like I don’t tolerate bigotry,” Donalds said. “In the real world, half the people that run their mouth won’t walk up to you or walk up to me and say what they say to my face.”

Donalds talked a lot about social media and its impacts on our interactions with one another. 

Unlike his opponent, James Fishback, whose biggest concern is investing too much money in Israel and running on the platform of bringing that money back to the state of Florida, Donalds said he wouldn’t do that for a specific reason. 

“Those bonds that were purchased actually pay a higher rate, about 100 basis points more than US treasuries,” Donalds said. “The Israeli bond portfolio as I understand it yields about five, five and a quarter, US treasuries don’t yield that.” 

In this current climate, another thing troubling many young people, including those at FGCU, is Florida’s handling of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and those involved with it. 

“The American people support deportations of illegal aliens,” Donalds said. “[Democrats] want ICE to return to what it was under the Biden administration, and that’s not going to work.”

Someone else asked how another current issue would be tackled: the Epstein files. 

“I wanted the Epstein files to be released,” Donalds said. “I’m on the oversight committee, we are doing some of that work right now.”

To some, this seems like a slow process and there could be pressure on the government to make a change. So he added that there are some necessary steps to take before anything can happen with the case.

“We don’t do justice by the mob,” Donalds said. “We do it by investigation.”

The FGCU TPUSA chapter considered this event a success for their organization and for young conservatives at the university. Two officers had a lot to take away from their experience.

“The message is that we can all come together and have a good productive conversation without huge controversy,” Winter said. “I think having peaceful and productive conversations with students and with elected officials are important.”

Donalds has plans to help Florida continue to be what he calls “the best state in America,” if elected into office on Nov. 3.

“Now, we need to begin planning for the next 30 years of Florida’s growth,” he said.