“‘What the Hell Are You Gonna Do?’: Michael Steele and Dave Jolly Mock Byron Donalds’ Fiery Rhetoric at Turning Point Event
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., at the Black Conservative Federation’s Annual BCF Honors Gala in Columbia, SC., on Feb. 23.Andrew Harnik / AP file
Following Rep. Byron Donalds’ (R-FL) impassioned speech at a Turning Point USA gathering in Phoenix on Saturday, political commentators Michael Steele and Dave Jolly took aim at the MAGA lawmaker’s threats directed at his colleagues in Washington, D.C.
During the event, Donalds addressed the crowd with a pointed message about delivering on the conservative agenda. “In Washington, we have one simple job that we got to do, and we’ve got to deliver the agenda that you worked hard for, that you gave up your time for,” Donalds proclaimed.
“And I’m going to tell you this: we’re going to accomplish that agenda in Washington, D.C., and if any of my colleagues decide to get in the way, you will hear it directly from me and they will be held accountable.”
After airing the clip on MSNBC’s The Weekend, Steele, a former Republican National Committee chairman, couldn’t contain his laughter. Smirking, he quipped, “What the hell are you gonna do?” Steele doubled down, questioning Donald’s capacity to back up his bold rhetoric.
“You don’t represent the 720,000 people who live in the Maryland Fifth Congressional District. I mean, what — what are you going to do? I mean this sort of, you know, banal kind of threats and crazy talk,” Steele remarked. He further criticized Donalds’ position, noting that lawmakers had already passed a budget bill to stabilize the nation’s finances, only for Elon Musk to intervene and disrupt the process.
“I guess Byron gets all on board with it, then what do they do? They wind up with the exact same bill.” Former Rep. Dave Jolly (R-FL) also weighed in, attributing Donalds’ fiery tone to political insecurity. “Byron Donalds is a member looking for his place in the world and hasn’t found it,” Jolly commented.
“He’s run for speaker a couple of times, he maybe runs for governor — he doesn’t know. He hasn’t landed anything in the [Donald] Trump orbit, so when you can’t find your place in politics you get angry. He’s not going to do anything about it.”
The exchange between Steele and Jolly highlights growing skepticism toward Donalds’ attempts to position himself as a MAGA firebrand. While Donalds’ speech resonated with the conservative crowd, critics argue that his rhetoric lacks substance and actionable follow-through, leaving his threats ringing hollow in the eyes of political observers.
