The conservative provocateur garnered an early endorsement from former President Donald Trump, even before Donalds officially declared his candidacy.
On X, Donalds shared, “Who is the REAL Donald Trump?” He elaborated, “Last night in Hardee County, I met a lovely woman named Dorothy from Fort Meade, who expressed her admiration for our president. We snapped a selfie and I texted him, ‘Mr. President, Dorothy Gordon from Fort Meade, FL is 89 and loves you.’”
“Within 20 minutes, President Trump returned my call. The first thing he said was, ‘Tell her I love her!’ He wanted to be put on speaker so he could address all 500 attendees.”
“This is the REAL Donald Trump.”
“This is the PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT.”
“This is what the media will NEVER SHOW YOU.”
In a video shared by Donalds, he recounted, “Dorothy approached me, saying, ‘Sir, I love President Trump, and he’s been trying to meet me for a long time.’ I responded, ‘Let’s take a picture together.’”
“So, I took a selfie and assured her I would send it to President Trump. She probably thought I was just being polite, but I genuinely sent it. Here’s the message I sent: ‘Mr. President, Dorothy Gordon from Fort Meade, Florida, is 89 and loves you.’”
“Then something amusing happened. As I was at the photo line, my phone started ringing. I thought, ‘Wait a minute, Daniel is right here, so it can’t be him.’ I was momentarily stunned.”
“I checked my phone and realized it was the president. I answered, and he said, ‘Tell her I love her.’ I relayed the message, and we chatted, as President Trump is known to engage in conversation.”
“He inquired about my gubernatorial campaign, to which I replied, ‘Mr. President, it’s going great. We’re working hard.’ He remarked, ‘It looks like it’s going really well for you.’ I added, ‘Sir, I’m in Hardee County, and there are 500 people in this room who all adore you.’”
“He responded, ‘Oh, really? Put me on speaker right now.’”
“I rushed over, looking for my wife, asking, ‘Sue, where are you?’ She was bewildered, dropping her biscuit as she tried to grasp the situation. ‘What’s happening?’ she asked.”
“I exclaimed, ‘I need a microphone!’ as we scrambled to get everything set up. The President asked, ‘Am I on? Can they hear me?’ I said, ‘Hold on, Mr. President, we’re almost ready.’ Then, the President of the United States spoke to the crowd.”
After the call, Donalds shared a clip featuring President Trump’s message, “I’m with you. I just want to tell you that Byron is a fantastic guy. He’s a hard worker and will do a tremendous job. I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves. I’m currently making a big speech tonight, but I wanted to check in and say hello. Take care!”
“We love you all. Oh my God. All right, let’s wrap this up.”
The crowd erupted in applause.
Donalds then highlighted Dorothy Gordon in the audience, saying, “You know what? He called because of you.”
Watch:
Who is the REAL Donald Trump?
Last night, at a speech in Hardee County, I met a woman named Dorothy from Fort Meade & she told me she loves our president.
We sent President Trump a selfie & I wrote him, “Mr. President, Dorothy Gordon from Fort Meade, FL is 89 & loves you.”… pic.twitter.com/1RhxB2EJdn
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) April 25, 2025
