Rep. Donalds to Newsmax: Trump Can Hit the Ground Running

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Thursday night the U.S. needs a president who can hit the ground running to tackle the various problems facing the nation in short order, which is why he is supporting former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination over Ron DeSantis, the governor of the state he represents.

"It's not just a typical presidential election cycle," Donalds told "Eric Bolling The Balance." "Joe Biden has been terrible for our country, terrible in so many ways. … He failed us on a foreign-policy perspective, energy-policy perspective, in our economy with inflation, at our southern border.

"And we also know that there are issues with the various agencies where you have people who are choosing to weaponize these agencies against the American people.

"If you look at all that in its totality, you've got to have a president who can hit the ground running to take care of all these issues in a short order."

Donalds said the radical left found that demonization and demagoguery didn't work in stopping Trump, so it now has turned to using the justice system against him. Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying documents in the first degree, charges brought by Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Trump became the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges.

"He's going to stand in that breach, he's not going to blink an eye and do what's right on behalf of the American people," Donalds said.

DeSantis has yet to declare his candidacy for the 2024 Republican nomination, and he trails Trump significantly in most polls. But many expect him to challenge Trump in what likely will be a deep field of candidates.

When asked about a possible Republican presidential ticket of Trump and DeSantis, Donalds quoted Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens after Owens signed to play for the Dallas Cowboys in 2006.

"Oh man, it's going to be 'get your popcorn ready' to quote Terrell Owens from back in the day when he was playing for the Cowboys," Donalds said.

"It will be tremendous. It will be something that the radical left in the Democrat Party won't be able to deal with because you'll have two individuals who are no-nonsense, who are about the country, and they'll be focused on that.

"But you know what? I believe that between them two, that's something they've got to try to figure out if they can."