“You Can Delete the Trump Content From Your Website, but You Can’t Delete the Harm You Caused the American People” — Angie Nixon

Byron Donalds Scrubs “Trump Agenda” From Campaign Website as Florida Democrats Test Whether MAGA Loyalty Has Become a Liability

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds spent much of his rise in national politics making his alliance with President Donald Trump one of the most recognizable elements of his political identity. Now, with Florida voters approaching the November election, some of the most prominent references to Trump have disappeared from Donalds’ campaign website, including language pledging to “Enact the Trump Agenda.” Donalds disputes suggestions that the changes represent an effort to distance himself politically from Trump, insisting he remains proud of the president’s endorsement and continues to support his agenda. His campaign says the redesigned website instead reflects a shift toward issues it believes matter most to Florida voters, including affordability, insurance costs and government transparency.

The controversy became part of a broader discussion on CBS News this week, where Florida Democratic U.S. Senate nominee and state Rep. Angie Nixon argued that Republicans cannot erase their political records simply by changing campaign websites. Nixon, who is challenging Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in Florida’s special U.S. Senate election, used the episode to argue that voters should focus on legislative records and policy consequences rather than campaign branding.

Donalds’ Website Once Made Trump Nearly Impossible to Miss

The changes are significant because Trump’s support previously occupied prime real estate throughout Donalds’ gubernatorial campaign website. Archived versions repeatedly identified Donalds as Trump endorsed, featured a photograph of Donalds and his wife with Trump and prominently displayed the president’s endorsement. The website’s policy section also previously led with a pledge to “Enact the Trump Agenda.” Reporting based on archived versions of the website found that eight references to Trump’s endorsement were removed from the homepage, along with the photograph and the Trump agenda language.

Trump has not disappeared entirely from Donalds’ campaign presentation. His endorsement remains among a scrolling list of conservative endorsements, and the website still references Donalds’ role as a Trump campaign surrogate in 2024. That distinction matters: Donalds has reduced Trump’s prominence on the website, but there is no evidence that he has renounced the president or withdrawn his support.

Donalds Says He Is Not Running Away From Trump

Donalds pushed back against suggestions that the changes represent an attempt to distance himself politically from Trump. Speaking at the Sunshine Economy Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Donalds said his campaign had been working on website changes for roughly two months and that the redesign was intended to emphasize his general election message around an “accountable,” “achievable” and “affordable” Florida. When directly asked whether removing the “Enact the Trump Agenda” language meant he no longer intended to pursue Trump-aligned policies, Donalds said it did not and described the president’s agenda as focused on law and order, markets, border security and cooperation with the federal government on immigration.

Donalds also rejected the premise that Trump had become a political liability for Republicans heading into the midterms. His campaign spokesman, Gates McGavick, separately said the redesigned website reflects Donalds’ focus on affordability, insurance costs and government transparency. The competing interpretations therefore center less on whether Donalds still supports Trump, he publicly says that he does, and more on why Trump became substantially less prominent in the campaign’s online presentation at this stage of the general election.

Angie Nixon: Changing a Website Does Not Change a Voting Record

During her CBS News interview, Nixon argued that Republican candidates cannot separate themselves from policies they have previously supported simply by changing campaign language. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you delete Trump policies or Trump endorsements from your website. You can’t delete your record,” Nixon told CBS. Her broader argument was that voters should evaluate candidates based on their records on healthcare, affordability and other economic issues rather than how campaigns present themselves online.

Nixon tied that criticism to her campaign’s focus on working class economic issues, including affordable housing, healthcare access and universal childcare. Republicans, meanwhile, have sought to define Nixon through her membership in the Democratic Socialists of America. Nixon rejected the emphasis on the DSA label during the CBS interview, arguing that the election should focus instead on the policies she is campaigning on and their potential effects on Florida residents.

Nixon Faces Ashley Moody in Florida’s Senate Election

Nixon is challenging Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in Florida’s 2026 special U.S. Senate election. Public polling currently shows Moody ahead on average, although individual surveys vary substantially. The RealClearPolling average of surveys conducted from July 8 through Sept. 21 had Moody at 49% and Nixon at 42.4%, a 6.6 point margin. An InsiderAdvantage survey showed Moody ahead by seven points, while Stetson University measured an 11-point advantage and St. Pete Polls found the candidates tied at 45%. The variation illustrates why no individual poll should be treated as a definitive measurement of the electorate.

Nixon told CBS that her campaign’s internal polling showed a closer contest. Internal campaign surveys should be distinguished from independent public polling because campaigns commission the research and control which results they release.

Nixon Targets Moody Over Debates and CBS Adds an Important Clarification

Nixon also criticized Moody for not agreeing to debate her and raised allegations concerning Medicaid funding. CBS subsequently appended an important clarification to the segment concerning Nixon’s claims about Moody, noting that a grand jury examining the matter found no probable cause to bring charges against her. That finding is essential context when reporting Nixon’s accusation: the allegation represents Nixon’s political criticism of her opponent, not an established finding that Moody committed a crime. The exchange illustrates the increasingly aggressive character of Florida’s statewide campaigns as Election Day approaches, with candidates attempting to define their opponents while simultaneously defending themselves against broader national political narratives.

AI Becomes an Unexpected Florida Campaign Issue

One of the more substantive portions of Nixon’s CBS interview concerned artificial intelligence, data centers and the rapidly expanding physical infrastructure required to support AI systems. Nixon raised concerns about the possibility that massive data centers could place additional pressure on local electric grids and contribute to higher utility costs for surrounding communities. She called for stronger protections governing public data, children’s privacy and the use of artificial intelligence in employment decisions, including greater transparency when automated systems influence hiring or firing.

Nixon also floated a more unusual proposal: if large technology companies construct energy intensive AI facilities that contribute to higher utility costs in surrounding communities, residents should potentially receive some form of financial dividend or compensation. The proposal reflects a policy debate likely to become increasingly relevant as technology companies invest heavily in data centers, power generation and AI infrastructure, raising questions about who should bear infrastructure costs and what protections should accompany the technology’s deployment.

The Bigger Question for Donalds Is Political Branding

The Donalds website controversy ultimately presents a relatively straightforward factual change surrounded by a contested political interpretation. Donalds’ campaign website previously placed Trump and Trump’s endorsement prominently throughout its presentation, including language promising to “Enact the Trump Agenda.” The redesigned site removed eight references to Trump’s endorsement from the homepage, eliminated the Trump agenda heading and removed a prominent photograph with the president. Trump’s endorsement, however, remains elsewhere on the website, and Donalds continues to publicly support him.

Whether those changes constitute deliberate political distancing is disputed. Some news coverage has placed the redesign within a broader pattern of Republican candidates reducing Trump’s prominence ahead of the 2026 midterms, while Donalds and his campaign reject that interpretation and say the changes were designed to focus the website on Florida-specific policy priorities. What is documented is the contrast between the two versions of Donalds’ campaign presentation: earlier in the campaign, Trump’s endorsement was one of the first things visitors encountered; now, Donalds is foregrounding his own Florida policy platform while Trump occupies a less prominent position.

Donalds’ past statements, congressional record, alliance with Trump and current campaign platform remain available independently of how his campaign arranges its homepage, leaving Florida voters to determine what significance, if any, they place on the campaign’s decision to change its presentation ahead of the general election.

Sources & Further Reading

CBS News — Byron Donalds Stands By Trump After Website Changes

CBS News — Angie Nixon Responds to DSA Criticism and Discusses Senate Campaign

The Washington Post — Donalds Removes Trump References From Campaign Website

RealClearPolling — Florida Senate: Ashley Moody vs. Angie Nixon

CBS Miami — Donalds and David Jolly at Fort Lauderdale Sunshine Economy Summit