HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump is changing his tune when it comes to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister.
Over the weekend, Trump named Chronister as his pick to lead the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, praising his more than three decades of experience in law enforcement.
"For over 32 years, Sheriff Chad Chronister has served the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and received countless commendations and awards for keeping his community SAFE," the president-elect's announcement said, in part.
While Chronister described the nomination as the honor of a lifetime, he withdrew his name from consideration for the position on Tuesday, indicating that he planned to continue serving as sheriff of Florida's third-largest county.
But just a day later, Trump claimed he decided to reverse course on Chronister — not the sheriff's.
"...he didn’t pull out, I pulled him out, because I did not like what he said to my pastors and other supporters," Trump said, in part, in a Wednesday post on Truth Social.
The president-elect went on to slam the Wall Street Journal's report of Chronister's withdrawal.
Despite Trump's claims, Chronister maintains that he decided to turn down the nomination for DEA administrator.
"Sheriff Chronister stands behind his decision to withdraw from consideration. Right now, his priority, as it has been for the last seven years, remains the mission to protect and serve everyone in Hillsborough County," the sheriff's office shared in a statement to 10 Tampa Bay.
Trump's claims appear to echo criticism from Republican leaders and political pundits over Chronister's initial nomination.
Most notably, the sheriff drew backlash for this decision to arrest Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne for holding an in-person gathering at The River at Tampa Bay Church in March 2020. At the time, Chronister called the pastor's actions a "reckless disregard for public safety."
"Chad Chronister is a COVID tyrant who arrested a Christian pastor for holding church in person during the pandemic," conservative political commentator Liz Wheeler wrote on X on Dec. 1. "Chronister abused his power; he’s unfit to lead the DEA."
Florida officials nominated by Trump
Chronister was just one of several Floridians tapped by the president-elect to serve in his Cabinet.
Just days after the election, Trump selected his campaign manager and longtime Florida-based Republican strategist Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff.
Trump also nominated Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state and U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz as national security advisor.
After U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz — Trump's controversial pick for attorney general — withdrew his nomination, the president-elect named former Flordia Attorney General Pam Bondi as the replacement nominee.
Now, as pressure mounts for Trump to oust Pete Hegseth as his choice for defense secretary, multiple reports say Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could be named in his place.
