Byron Donalds Has Best Response When Asked if ‘Worried About Retribution’ Over Speaker Challenge

RedState wrote earlier about the predictable yet contemptible comments made about Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) by fellow House member Cori Bush (D-Mo.) in the aftermath of his nomination for the powerful House Speaker position also currently being sought most notably by former House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in what’s become a riveting battle between various Republican factions.

“FWIW, @ByronDonalds is not a historic candidate for Speaker. He is a prop,” Bush, who is a member of AOC’s notoriously unhinged “Squad,” tweeted. “Despite being Black, he supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy. His name being in the mix is not progress—it’s pathetic.”

Unfortunately for Donalds, though ugly insinuations that he’s an “Uncle Tom” coming from the likes of radical Democrats like Bush are to be expected, there is also the very real possibility of something far more politically consequential coming on down the line on the Republican side directed at Donalds in response to his acceptance of a challenge to what McCarthy no doubt hoped would be an easy victory.

But true to form, when Donalds was asked Wednesday about the possibility that he would pay a political price with Republican leaders at a later point for actions taken this week, the Florida Republican nonchalantly shrugged it off, noting his height and weight and saying that he was “not worried about that.”

Reporter: “You’ve put yourself in a pretty public position opposing the person that could be the speaker. Are you worried about retribution?”

Donalds: “Man, I’m 6’2″, 275. I’m not worried about that.”

That’s what I call beast mode, folks. Watch:

Reporter: "You've put yourself in a pretty public position opposing the person that could be the speaker. Are you worried about retribution?"

Rep. Byron Donalds: "Man, I'm 6'2", 275, I'm not worried about that." pic.twitter.com/UQJIq0G50R

— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) January 4, 2023

In December during the Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix, Arizona, RedState’s Jennifer Oliver O’Connell had the chance to sit down and talk to Rep. Donalds about his vision for America and how his home state of Florida and the progress they made in rolling back the woke agenda under the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis should be a blueprint for Republicans nationally going forward.

“That really is the template for the rest of America, you have to be bold about your principles and your policies,” Donalds said during his RedState interview. “You shouldn’t run away from them, you shouldn’t be shy about them, and the voters will reward you because of it.”

Sadly, it doesn’t look like a solid majority of his Republican colleagues in the House are rewarding him for standing on principle, but the good news is that regardless of what happens in the House Speakership tug of war, Donalds understands he has a powerful voice and platform and is not afraid to use both to get his message across.

In case you missed it, watch Jennifer’s full interview with Rep. Donalds below: