(José Niño, Headline USA) Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., found himself in an unexpected controversy after his wife Erika posted a Valentine’s Day tribute that inadvertently revealed he had pursued her while still married to his first wife.
According to The Daily Beast, Erika Donalds shared a photo on X recounting how the relationship began at Florida State University’s Oglesby Student Union in the fall of 1999, with their first date taking place on Valentine’s Day 2000. Byron, who’s running to be Florida’s next governor, enthusiastically reposted the tribute to his 1.1 million followers, writing, “I remember that day. You were beautiful then, and you are still beautiful now. I love you @ErikaDonalds! Happy Valentines Day!!”
The problem was immediately obvious to anyone familiar with public records. Donalds had married Bisa Hall on June 15, 1999, roughly three months before he allegedly approached Erika at the student union. Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan was among the first to call it out. “Insane that she just tweeted out these dates, given it is a matter of public record that he was married to his first wife at the time, just married in fact,” Hasan wrote on X.
Insane that she just tweeted out these dates given it is a matter of public record that he was married to his first wife at the time, just married in fact: https://t.co/GCor2vQgiN pic.twitter.com/HjgcdKB3Re
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) February 15, 2026
Donalds divorced Hall in 2002 and married Erika Lees, now Erika Donalds, in March 2003.
The Daily Beast noted that Hall’s own account adds further complexity. In a previous interview with WGCU, she described their marriage as primarily arranged so she could access cheaper in-state tuition through his Florida residency. They never lived together as a conventional couple. Early divorce discussions arose, and Donalds reportedly refused. “‘No, I don’t want to lose my wife,'” Hall recalled him saying. Yet he began an affair with Lees shortly after.
Hall said she held out hope until Donalds ended things with Lees and told her he wanted to reconcile. That hope collapsed when Lees revealed a pregnancy and Donalds pushed for a swift divorce.
Hall told WGCU she was stunned watching her ex-husband reinvent himself as a Trump loyalist. “To see him now, out there saying, ‘I’m a conservative black man,’ and I’m like, ‘Since when?'” she said. “He wasn’t talking about politics at all. To see him now, it’s like, ‘When did this happen?'”
The controversy surfaces as Donalds campaigns to become Florida’s next governor with President Donald Trump’s backing. If elected, he would become the first black Republican governor in U.S. history. The Daily Beast has reached out to Donalds for comment.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
