WASHINGTON: Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday he would seek the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidency, setting up a confrontation with his one-time ally, the former president. Donald Trumpthat would shake up the race for the White House.
DeSantis made the announcement in a pre-audio interview video on Twitter with its CEO, Elon Musk.
Musk’s interview, which was intended to be the official launch of the DeSantis campaign, was beset by technical problems that prevented listeners from hearing him, a bad start to a campaign based on governor’s executive capacity.
“We need courage to lead and strength to win,” DeSantis said in a video posted on Twitter. “I’m Ron DeSantis, and I’m running for president to lead America’s great comeback.”
With a rising national profile and what was expected to be ample financial resources, DeSantis, 44, immediately became Trump’s biggest rival for the Republican nomination.
Still, polls show Trump leading the Florida Governor 2 to 1, who has long been seen as the rising star of the Republican Party and a herald of a new generation of leaders. in the party. Trump, who announced in November, is also off to a good start in organizing his campaign in key early voting states.
“We must end the culture of losing that has infected the Republican Party in recent years,” DeSantis said during the event with Musk as it continued.
Supporters and donors will be watching to see if DeSantis fights back against Trump, who has relentlessly attacked him with no response, much to the dismay of some of DeSantis’ allies. frustrated because he wanted him to respond more forcefully.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and Twitter with 140 million Twitter followers, had previously said that his presence at Wednesday’s event would not be an endorsement but would reflect a desire to turn the world around. his services into a more city square.
DeSantis on Wednesday is also expected to convene a meeting of his top donors at a Miami hotel, where they will immediately launch his fundraising efforts. .
DeSantis’ central argument for his candidacy may be that he is the only Republican who can defeat Democratic President Joe Biden, Trump’s winner in the 2020 election.
Mainstream Republicans will be watching DeSantis carefully to see if he can recover from foreign policy missteps, such as his initial reluctance to voice support. support for Ukraine in the war with Russia.
In the weeks leading up to running for president, DeSantis toured the country, visiting states like Iowa and New Hampshire that will host early rallies. He has bragged about his accomplishments as governor of Florida, including his battles with the federal government over pandemic policies.
DeSantis and his advisers were determined to wait to enter the race until the Florida Legislature could hand him a series of policy victories — and lawmakers did.
He signed measures to severely restrict abortion in the state, make it easier for residents to carry concealed weapons, expand a coupon program to allow students to attend private schools, and eliminate funding diversity programs at public universities, among other things.
DeSantis is still in a fierce battle with Walt Disney Co over the company’s criticism of a law banning the teaching of gender identity concepts in public schools. The company filed a federal lawsuit accusing DeSantis of weaponizing the state government to punish its operations.
Other declared Republican candidates include Nikki Haleyformer US ambassador to the United Nations, and Tim Scott, a US senator from South Carolina.
DeSantis made the announcement in a pre-audio interview video on Twitter with its CEO, Elon Musk.
Musk’s interview, which was intended to be the official launch of the DeSantis campaign, was beset by technical problems that prevented listeners from hearing him, a bad start to a campaign based on governor’s executive capacity.
“We need courage to lead and strength to win,” DeSantis said in a video posted on Twitter. “I’m Ron DeSantis, and I’m running for president to lead America’s great comeback.”
With a rising national profile and what was expected to be ample financial resources, DeSantis, 44, immediately became Trump’s biggest rival for the Republican nomination.
Still, polls show Trump leading the Florida Governor 2 to 1, who has long been seen as the rising star of the Republican Party and a herald of a new generation of leaders. in the party. Trump, who announced in November, is also off to a good start in organizing his campaign in key early voting states.
“We must end the culture of losing that has infected the Republican Party in recent years,” DeSantis said during the event with Musk as it continued.
Supporters and donors will be watching to see if DeSantis fights back against Trump, who has relentlessly attacked him with no response, much to the dismay of some of DeSantis’ allies. frustrated because he wanted him to respond more forcefully.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and Twitter with 140 million Twitter followers, had previously said that his presence at Wednesday’s event would not be an endorsement but would reflect a desire to turn the world around. his services into a more city square.
DeSantis on Wednesday is also expected to convene a meeting of his top donors at a Miami hotel, where they will immediately launch his fundraising efforts. .
DeSantis’ central argument for his candidacy may be that he is the only Republican who can defeat Democratic President Joe Biden, Trump’s winner in the 2020 election.
Mainstream Republicans will be watching DeSantis carefully to see if he can recover from foreign policy missteps, such as his initial reluctance to voice support. support for Ukraine in the war with Russia.
In the weeks leading up to running for president, DeSantis toured the country, visiting states like Iowa and New Hampshire that will host early rallies. He has bragged about his accomplishments as governor of Florida, including his battles with the federal government over pandemic policies.
DeSantis and his advisers were determined to wait to enter the race until the Florida Legislature could hand him a series of policy victories — and lawmakers did.
He signed measures to severely restrict abortion in the state, make it easier for residents to carry concealed weapons, expand a coupon program to allow students to attend private schools, and eliminate funding diversity programs at public universities, among other things.
DeSantis is still in a fierce battle with Walt Disney Co over the company’s criticism of a law banning the teaching of gender identity concepts in public schools. The company filed a federal lawsuit accusing DeSantis of weaponizing the state government to punish its operations.
Other declared Republican candidates include Nikki Haleyformer US ambassador to the United Nations, and Tim Scott, a US senator from South Carolina.
