Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) said he is “not surprised” President-elect Trump has not named him for a position in his new administration.
Donalds joined CNN’s “Laura Coates Live” on Wednesday evening and was asked if he was surprised he’d not been chosen as one of Trump’s senior staff or Cabinet positions.
“All I will say is I am not surprised that I have not been named, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to do other things in the future,” Donalds said.
Host Laura Coates clarified if Trump “has asked” him to serve in a position.
“No,” Donalds replied. “There are some other things that I’m looking at going forward.”
Donalds, a staunch ally of Trump who was on the short list for his vice president, hit the campaign trail this fall to help him win reelection. He held campaign events in Pennsylvania and looked to earn a larger share of the Black male vote.
Trump has selected several other key allies to serve in his controversial Cabinet, including former Fox News “Fox & Friends Weekend” personality Pete Hegseth and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii).
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was chosen as Trump’s Secretary of State, leaving an open senate position in Donalds’s state. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said the decision on who would replace Rubio will likely be made by the “beginning of January.”
Coates pressed Donalds on if the spot was enticing to him.
“We’ll see what happens going forward,” Donalds said.
