MAGA-aligned U.S. Representative Byron Donalds, who is running for Governor of Florida with President Trump’s endorsement, has refused to participate in a Republican debate before the Republican primary, which takes place on August 18.
[NOTE: The Florida Republican Party reports that of the four GOP candidates, only Donalds has met the qualifications to participate in a primary debate, receiving at least 10% support according to polls, having more than 10,000 donors, and raising more than $10 million.]
At a campaign event this week, Donalds said: “Look at the polling in our race, every public poll out there now has me in the 50s and these other candidates are in single digits.”
He continued: “Look, there are no participation trophies in politics. You have to earn your way onto the stage. These candidates want to be able to use my campaign to help theirs.”
Today I was asked if a debate was a participation trophy.
Trust me, @ByronDonalds, I have enough of those. pic.twitter.com/3LEa5JxjF1
— Jay Collins (@JayCollinsFL) June 16, 2026
When asked about Donalds’ refusal and his comment at a press conference, Lt. Governor Jay Collins, a former Army Green Beret also running for Governor, responded, “The participation trophy is a bit of a slap in the face. Now, look, I don’t normally do this,” and took off his leg prosthetic and put it on the dais.
“There’s my participation trophy,” said Collins, who lost his leg as a result of combat operations in Afghanistan. Collins, who returned to active duty after amputation surgery, said Donalds is “scared of his own shadow and afraid to debate.”
According to several polls, Donalds is expected to win the GOP primary in a landslide. A new McLoughlin & Associates poll shows Donalds winning 54% of the votes, Collins winning 5%, and 31% in the “don’t know” category. (The other two GOP candidates, James Fishback and Paul Renner, take 8% and 2% respectively.)
[NOTE: The winner of the GOP primary will likely face the leading Democratic candidate in the race, former Republican U.S. Representative (R-FL) David Jolly, who reposted Collins’ response video.]