ESPN host Stephen A. Smith said Thursday that Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., could make him a Republican, praising the Trump-backed gubernatorial frontrunner days before Florida Republicans choose their nominee to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"And I ain't no d--- Republican. But that mean if anybody could make me one, it would be him. I'm just going to keep it a buck. I'm just letting you know," Smith said.
"He's the real deal. Make no mistake about it. I've seen him battling with Democrats. I've seen him battling with people on different shows, whatever. He ain't backing up. He knows his stuff. OK? I talk to him all the time. All the time. And I ain't got nothing bad to say about him," he added.
A Donalds campaign official confirmed to Fox News Digital on Friday that Smith and Donalds are friends. Campaign communications director Gates McGavick said Donalds was attracting voters across demographic groups by focusing on affordability and public safety.
"Byron Donalds is drawing support from Floridians of all backgrounds because he has a clear vision to make Florida more affordable, keep Floridians safe, and make sure the radical left stays out of the Sunshine State," McGavick said. "He is building a broad coalition that puts common sense over crazy to lead Florida into the future."
One GOP source's assessment provided to Fox News Digital on Friday focused on President Donald Trump's endorsement.
"Donalds is endorsed by POTUS and we fully expect him to win the primary," the source said.
A James Madison Institute poll released Aug. 6 placed Donalds at 49% among likely Republican primary voters, 31 points ahead of Lt. Gov. Jay Collins. Donalds' campaign had raised more than $90 million, as he faced Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and investor James Fishback, while DeSantis withheld an endorsement of any candidate.
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Smith described himself as skeptical of Democrats while pressing Donalds on Black voters' distrust of Trump and concerns about Donalds' close alignment with the president
"You heard me ask that question [what have Democrats done for you]. I ain't apologizing for it. I'm very skeptical about them," Smith said.
"Make no mistake about it. I mean, I've lost interest in them in a lot of different ways. I'll be the first to admit it right here on the public airwaves, but I also am trying to be fair-minded when I think about this," he added.
The comments continue Smith's increasing openness to Republican candidates. In March, he challenged Democrats to earn Black votes rather than take them for granted. Days later, he told Sean Hannity that, despite being a Democrat, he would support Secretary of State Marco Rubio over prominent Democrats, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Donalds answered Smith’s question about skepticism among Black voters by urging them to assess politicians through policies and results rather than personal comfort or social media commentary.
"It's something that I acknowledge. I would challenge Black people in America. First of all, this ain't even about trust. It's about verification," Donalds said.
"We've had people on both sides of the aisle promise Black people everything until the cows come home. But it's really about, are you going to verify the promises, and verify what the policies actually do, or are you just going to trust it because you have comfort level with a certain politician," he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Smith for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
DeSantis, who was re-elected in a landslide in 2022, is barred from running for a third term. Over the past 10 years, Florida has gone from being a swing state to being dominated by Republicans at the state and national levels.
