Trump Backs Byron Donalds in Florida Amid GOP Ad Controversy

President Donald Trump is traveling to Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday, October 23, 2026, to campaign for Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds as the party prepares for November's midterm elections. The rally comes amid growing Republican criticism of an attack advertisement launched by Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy against his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton.

According to NBC News, Trump's Florida event is scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern Time at Florida Gulf Coast University, located in a strongly Republican area. Donalds, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2021, is seeking a four-year term to succeed outgoing Republican Gov.

Ron DeSantis. He faces Democrat David Jolly, a former representative who served from 2014 to 2017.

The Cook Political Report recently downgraded the Florida contest from "Likely R" to "Lean R," indicating a more competitive race than previously assessed. The Guardian also reported that Donalds has removed references to Trump from his website and has rarely mentioned the president during his gubernatorial campaign.

Trump's appearance follows his public defense of Ramaswamy's controversial advertisement, which features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Acton. NBC News reported that the $4 million campaign advertisement portrays Arthur criticizing her daughter and urging Ohio voters not to support her.

Arthur calls Acton a "liar" in the advertisement. Acton has spoken publicly about being sexually abused as a child by her mother's husband, an account corroborated by her brother. The reports state that Acton has been estranged from her mother for nearly five decades.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has called on Ramaswamy to withdraw the advertisement. Trump criticized DeWine in a Truth Social post, describing him as "disloyal to the Republican Party" and accusing him of wanting a Democratic candidate to win. Trump also characterized the advertisement as "a very powerful ad."

At a rally in Iowa on Thursday, Trump acknowledged that he had personally encouraged Ramaswamy to continue using the advertisement despite the backlash.

"I said, ‘You’ve got to ride with it.’" Trump said at the rally.

Republican criticism has extended beyond DeWine. Iowa Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson publicly opposed the advertisement on Thursday, distancing herself from the president's position.

"I think it’s absolutely terrible, and I think they should take the ad down." Hinson said.

NBC News reported that Ramaswamy and the Ohio Republican ticket are expected to begin an 11-day statewide bus tour on Friday. It remains unclear whether Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who faces a competitive reelection campaign, will participate. Local Democrats and activist groups have announced plans to protest at several scheduled stops in Strongsville, Powell and Circleville.

Trump's campaign schedule also includes South Carolina, where Democratic Senate nominee Annie Andrews is holding a town hall in Anderson as she challenges Republican Sen. Darline Graham. Graham was appointed in July to replace her late brother, Sen.

Lindsey Graham. The Guardian reported that Trump's support for Republicans in competitive races has coincided with public criticism of his administration among some conservative voters.

Fox News reported that Trump's Wednesday rally in South Carolina exposed divisions among supporters concerned about the economy, immigration and the war with Iran. Some attendees urged Republicans to prioritize the November elections despite their dissatisfaction, while Clemson University student Grant Frady described reconsidering his political allegiance.

"I was a big Trump supporter," Frady said. "But, recently, I didn't support him for the 2024 election. I feel like there's too many special interests involved.

I feel like what he said to the public was that he was anti-war. He was wanting to boost the economy. He said that he was just going to put America first, and I just feel like we haven't."

Frady also questioned the administration's immigration enforcement record and criticized the consequences of its approach.

"And he also, he said he was going to deport all the illegal immigrants. We haven't seen enough to really say that. I feel like he's just overstating.

I feel he's causing too many problems for what he's really benefiting. We haven't gotten that many illegal immigrants out, and look how much problems we have with ICE." Frady said.

Meanwhile, Trump used his Iowa rally to call for Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota to resign over allegations of immigration fraud. He repeated an allegation that Omar's second husband is her brother, which Omar has denied.

Asked about the allegation in an interview with MS NOW on Thursday, Omar called it "insane" and said it originated from an online gossip blog. When pressed about whether the allegation had any basis, she responded, "Not to my knowledge," before Trump criticized her response at the rally.

"That’s one of the worst answers I think I’ve ever heard. You know, I’ve heard some bad political answers." Trump said.

Separately, the Department of Homeland Security inspector general has referred an investigation involving former special government employee Corey Lewandowski to the Justice Department, according to a person familiar with the inquiry cited by NBC News.

The investigation concerns questions about the awarding of a $220 million advertising contract featuring then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Current Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin testified in March that the inspector general was examining the contract.

The Justice Department has also asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene in a lawsuit seeking to prevent California from counting more than 20,000 mail-in ballots. The Trump administration argues that the ballots were cast by people likely not to be U.S. citizens, and the request was filed before a lower-court judge ruled on the dispute.