Byron Donalds on viral moment with Democrat Jamaal Bowman: We were first talking about football
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., describes his funny debate on the Capitol steps and says it shows the lighthearted moments between members of opposite parties
Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., went viral over a funny but heated debate over the 2024 election.
Donalds joined "Fox & Friends" Friday to discuss the encounter, saying it's good for America to see that members of Congress are able to have lighthearted conversations even if they are from different political parties.
"I think the good thing about it is people see that these guys actually sometimes joke about stuff, sometimes talk about the issues in a lighthearted fashion, and sometimes we're not even talking issues at all. We talk life, we talk family, we talk sports."
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The two lawmakers traded blows on who has the better chance of winning the presidential election in 2024.
Donalds fiercely backed former President Donald Trump or Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., for the office, while Bowman insisted that President Biden would easily beat either to reclaim the White House.
Highlights from the impromptu debate included a moment where Bowman insisted that DeSantis was a "White supremacist," a notion Donalds outright denied. Donalds also provided a deft, NFL-related one-liner, saying the idea that Biden could beat either GOP frontrunner was like "saying Josh Allen is better than Patrick Mahomes."
Donalds said he and Bowman were discussing football as they were walking down the Capitol steps. Donalds said they often discuss football and the debate started when he was asked questions by a reporter.
"So at that point in time, you're like, well, I can't just sit here and let him talk, I got to respond, and that's how the whole thing came out about how Florida has two potential presidential nominees and New York has none. And yes, New York has none. And that's kind of where it started from there."
Donalds said the lighthearted debate was good for a lot of members to see as politics is viewed right now by many as "ultra-personal."
Though one of the lawmakers’ colleagues playfully came up and interrupted the debate, giving both a hug and calling them "handsome Black men." All three ended up laughing about the exchange.
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Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
