Trump Rallies Florida Republicans in Fort Myers as Early Voting Begins

President Trump returned to southwest Florida on Friday, headlining a rally for the state's Republican ticket as Florida's mandatory early in-person voting period opened Saturday, ten days before the Nov. 3 election. Trump landed at Southwest Florida International Airport just before 1:30 p.m., was greeted on the tarmac by Gov. Ron DeSantis, and spoke to a packed Alico Arena at Florida Gulf Coast University before departing for Mar-a-Lago around 4:20 p.m.

The stop was part of a swing through seven states in seven days that aides have framed as a closing turnout push for Republican candidates in this year's midterms. Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power, who introduced the rally, put the stakes in blunt terms: "It is all about turnout now."

Two Candidates, One Closing Argument

Trump used the stage mainly to boost two Republicans on the November ballot. Byron Donalds, a four-term congressman representing southwest Florida who is leaving the House to run for governor, is facing Democrat and former congressman David Jolly in the race to succeed the term-limited DeSantis. Sen. Ashley Moody, appointed by DeSantis in January 2025 to fill the seat Marco Rubio vacated to become secretary of state, is defending it in a special election to serve the remainder of Rubio's term, which runs through January 2029, against Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon of Jacksonville.

Trump called Donalds "one of your greatest governors in history" and told the crowd, "In 11 days from now, the people of Florida are going to elect Byron Donalds." Donalds, who told supporters it was "great to be home," pledged to cut insurance premiums by 20 percent and said simply, "we win in 11 days."

Moody was more combative, casting the race as existential rather than routine.

"I do not want you to keep calm and carry on," Moody told the crowd, calling Nixon "the most radical, extreme senator ever to step foot on the Senate floor."

Moody and Trump both pointed to Nixon's membership in the Democratic Socialists of America, a left-leaning advocacy organization, not a political party, as evidence of extremism. Trump called Nixon a "far-left lunatic," and Moody said Nixon had "signed up" for a platform that included defunding police and abolishing prisons.

A Pledge, Some Stretches, and a Fact Check

PolitiFact fact-checked several of the rally's sharpest claims and rated Moody's characterization of Nixon's platform "misleading," noting the DSA has not endorsed Nixon and that her campaign says she opposes abolishing prisons outright, supports border security and does not back noncitizen voting. The outlet found Donalds's attacks on Jolly's shifting positions on abortion and gun policy to be accurate, citing Jolly's own public statements acknowledging his views changed after leaving Congress as a Republican.

Trump also renewed a pledge, floated repeatedly in recent weeks, to send a $5,000 "Trump dividend" payment to adult citizens funded by tariff revenue if Republicans hold both chambers of Congress in January. No such payment has been enacted or proposed as legislation, and tariff revenue available for such a program would depend on trade policy that remains the subject of ongoing litigation. He also referenced recent U.S. military operations involving Venezuela and said further action against Iran "remained possible," without offering specifics.

A State Still Red, But Watched Closely

Florida remains a state where Republicans hold a substantial registration edge, built over the past several election cycles, and both races were rated solidly or comfortably in the GOP's favor by national forecasters heading into the rally. Still, both campaigns and outside Republican groups treated the Fort Myers stop as a turnout operation rather than a formality, and the roster of other speakers reflected that: Sen. Rick Scott, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, Rep. Greg Steube and Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters all addressed the crowd, along with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The visit coincided with a White House rundown of federal money and policy actions tied to Florida, touting tax provisions, infrastructure spending and lower border-crossing figures as evidence of the administration's record in the state.

What's Next

Florida's mandatory early in-person voting period runs from Oct. 24 through Oct. 31, giving voters a week to cast ballots before polls open statewide on Nov. 3. Individual counties may add extra early-voting days beyond the state minimum. Trump's travel schedule keeps moving: he is expected in Michigan on Sunday as part of the same multi-state push, ahead of a midterm map that includes all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships nationwide.

For Donalds and Moody, the next ten days amount to a turnout race more than a persuasion campaign in a state Trump carried comfortably in 2024. For Jolly and Nixon, the task is turning a credible polling deficit into a late shift by motivating Democratic and independent voters before early voting closes and Election Day arrives.