But during the latest stop in his listening tour at the longtime Miami political campaign hotspot, Donalds, 47, didn\u2019t start with a focus on Trump\u2019s endorsement for him. \u201cCampaigns are not just about endorsements, it’s about your vision for the future,\u201d he said at one point.<\/p>\n
Instead, Donalds began his address to the crowd by praising recent U.S. foreign policy actions, including the military raid and capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and military strikes in Iran \u2014 and pointing to Cuba as the next target.<\/p>\n
U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds speaks during an \u201cAsk Byron Anything\u201d meet-and-greet event at the Versailles Cuban Cuisine restaurant in Little Havana, as part of his campaign to run in the 2026 Republican primary for Florida governor, on Monday, March 02, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
\u201cNow that Venezuela has decided that they want to cooperate and work with the United States of America, something is happening to this island nation not too far away,\u201d Donalds said to cheers from the conservative Miami crowd in the room. \u201cIt is time for the Cuban regime to come to an end. It is time for freedom to reign in Cuba and have real, open relationships with the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
His visit came three days after the U.S. began widespread strikes in Iran, which polls<\/a> show<\/a> most Americans oppose. Donalds dismissed criticism that focusing on U.S. military intervention is a distraction from local issues.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people think that, \u2018Oh Byron, we have so much going on in our country, we got to be focused on our country.\u2019 And I agree, we\u2019re going to talk about a lot of the policies facing the future of Florida, but let\u2019s also be very clear that America does need allies,\u201d Donalds told the crowd.<\/p>\n As to his plans for Florida, he focused primarily on how to \u201cgrow our state responsibly,\u201d pitching regional plans for increasing housing supply and growing Florida as a financial industry hub. A super PAC backed by AI industry leaders recently committed<\/a> $5 million to Donalds\u2019 campaign.<\/p>\n Donalds took questions from the room in Miami, including defending his conservative bona fides to critics and promising to prioritize expanding gun rights in his first year. He was previously a registered Democrat, but told the room he changed parties in 2010 and has \u201cone of the most conservative voting records in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s polling well ahead any of his Republican opponents heading into the August primary and has a more than $45 million war chest to spend on his campaign. Former Congressman David Jolly and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings are battling to become the Democratic candidate on the ballot in November.<\/p>\n The event was as much a media show as much as it was an open conversation with voters, as political candidates up and down the ballot have done for years at Versailles<\/a>. There was heavy police presence all morning leading up to Donalds\u2019 talk. A small crowd of reporters and cameras packed in behind the counter to snap a shot of the potential future governor sipping a cafecito with former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, and watch him perform a classic campaign-style handshake and chitchat with the restaurant\u2019s barista.<\/p>\n The Versailles event room was filled with reporters and local Republican political leaders. Donalds was introduced by state legislators Mike Redondo and Juan Carlos Porras and thanked Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo, former Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo, political donor Maximo Alvarez and others for attending.<\/p>\n Also in attendance was his \u201cgood friend,\u201d Donalds said, Madeline Pumariega, the president of Miami Dade College who backed Miami Dade College\u2019s transfer of land at no cost for Trump\u2019s presidential library.<\/p>\n Notably absent from Donalds\u2019 speech, or any questions from the room during the hour-long question and answer session, was any discussion about immigration. The issue has become a political landmine for Miami Republicans, including Donalds\u2019 colleagues in Congress who have openly<\/a> criticized<\/a> Trump\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters after the event, Donalds defended the president\u2019s mass deportation agenda, arguing that the \u201cAmerican people still support our president\u2019s plans,\u201d even as polls show<\/a> the opposite.<\/p>\n As to the support among some young Republicans, Donalds\u2019 long-shot, hard-right opponent<\/a> James Fishback, Donalds said his policies \u2014 yet to be fully rolled out \u2014 will break through the online noise.<\/p>\n \u201cI think if you address those concerns with real policy and a real plan, not just 120 characters on social media,\u201d he told reporters. \u201cI think they will say, you know what? That Byron guy\u2019s got it right.\u201d<\/p>\n City of Miami Police officers guard the perimeter around the Versailles Cuban Cuisine restaurant in Little Havana, ahead of a visit by U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds for an \u201cAsk Byron Anything\u201d meet-and-greet event as part of his campaign to run in the 2026 Republican primary for Florida governor, on Monday, March 02, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
Local elected officials including, from right-Commissioner Rafael \u201cRalph\u201d Rosado Francis Suarez, former City of Miami Mayor, Vincent Lago, City of Coral Gables Mayor and Juan Carlos Porras, Florida Representative, joined U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds at la ventanita area for a \u201cCuban Cafesito\u201d at the Versailles Cuban Cuisine restaurant in Little Havana, for an \u201cAsk Byron Anything\u201d meet-and-greet event as part of his campaign to run in the 2026 Republican primary for Florida governor, on Monday, March 02, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office officers guard the perimeter around the Versailles Cuban Cuisine restaurant in Little Havana, ahead of a visit by U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds for an \u201cAsk Byron Anything\u201d meet-and-greet event as part of his campaign to run in the 2026 Republican primary for Florida governor, on Monday, March 02, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds greets supporters including Maximo Alvarez (left), founder and president of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors, as he enters a dinning area at the Versailles Cuban Cuisine restaurant in Little Havana, for an \u201cAsk Byron Anything\u201d meet-and-greet event as part of his campaign to run in the 2026 Republican primary for Florida governor, on Monday, March 02, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n