In a statement posted on X and Instagram, Suarez said Trump is the "only candidate that will keep our country safe, our border secured, reduce inflation, and can coherently lead our country forward."
"For these reasons, I am endorsing President Trump today," the announcement reads. "I look forward to helping him campaign on his strong record and contrast it with the current administration's. I especially look forward to helping President Trump and the Republican party win a larger share of Hispanic, young voters and voters across our cities and urban centers."
Suarez's critics had a spirited reaction to the news, and in keeping with a veritable tradition when the Miami mayor graces the internet with a big announcement, social media users reamed him out to no end.
"Wow, this is just so disappointing and embarrassing," one Instagram user wrote. "Choosing an indicted, wannabe dictator who *destroyed* the first bipartisan immigration reform bill we've had in generations just in the hopes of bolstering your own political career. Shameful."
The user was referring to the early February collapse of the immigration legislation after House Speaker Mike Johnson declared it dead on arrival in the lower chamber. Republicans in Congress shied away from the measure after Trump declared it a "gift to Democrats."
In response to Suarez's endorsement, one social media commenter proclaimed that she lost all respect for the mayor, while others claimed they were not entirely shocked by his support for the former president.Of course two corrupt politicians under investigation are gonna support each other. It’s only the Republican way!
— CJ (@LjcSoon) March 1, 2024
What a disappointment you’ve been Francis.
"You're a hack," an Instagram user declared. "He's not going to hire you no matter how much you endorse him."
Another asked, "How can you say 'down with the dictatorship in Cuba' and 'I support the guy who wants to be a dictator in the US?'"
Journalist and author Jacob Silverman suggested that Suarez — whose relationship with developer Rishi Kapoor reportedly became the subject of an FBI probe and is under review by a county ethics commission — is trying to curry favor with the former president for a possible pardon if needed. Suarez came under scrutiny last year over monthly $10,000 payments he had received from Kapoor as a consultant while Kapoor was seeking approval for a Coconut Grove real estate project.May be cited in a future pardon request https://t.co/5cajzq9fWT
— Jacob Silverman (@SilvermanJacob) March 1, 2024
One poster joked that Suarez could "share a jail cell with Trump" and "see what it feels like to be a Miami resident trying to find an affordable apartment without three roommates."
The mayor's social media critics have apparently not forgotten about the collapse of MiamiCoin, a digital currency that Suarez promoted as a means to provide revenue for the city, claiming it could one day replace city taxes.I would love to donate to his campaign and help make America great again but all my money is tied up in Miami Coin right now and I'm sleeping under a bridge while I wait for my investment to pay off!! Luckily people are throwing away a lot of Bud Light so I am well hydrated!!
— PhotographicFloridian (@JackLinFLL) March 1, 2024
"I would love to donate to his campaign and help make America great again, but all my money is tied up in Miami Coin right now, and I'm sleeping under a bridge while I wait for my investment to pay off!" a Twitter user joked.
Yet another user simply asked the mayor to focus on issues affecting residents at home.
While Suarez's post was flooded with comments ridiculing his endorsement, a few supporters swooped in and came to his defense.
"He's free to endorse whoever he wants. Florida will probably be red again anyway," an Instagram poster wrote.
"Every single anti-Trump comment in this thread is a liberal, virtue-signaling middle-aged white woman," another Suarez defender wrote. "Turn off The View and get your heads out of your a$se$."
Suarez was once a longshot contender in the presidential race but suspended his campaign in August 2023, marking one of the shortest White House bids in modern history. He registered less than one percent support in national polls and was the first candidate to withdraw from the Trump-dominated Republican presidential field.
