MIAMI (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign Wednesday with firm words but a disastrous Twitter ad reminding voters of criticism that he is not ready for the national stage. He is entering a tight Republican primary contest that will test his mettle against former President Donald Trump.
The 44-year-old Republican, an outspoken cultural conservative, initially announced his decision in a video posted on social media. He tried to talk more about it in a first-of-its-kind conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces, but the audio stream repeatedly crashed, making it virtually impossible for most users to hear the announcement in real time
“American decline is not inevitable, it’s a choice. And we should choose a new direction — a path that will lead to American revitalization,” DeSantis said on the fault line, pushing through his conservative achievements . “I’m running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback.”
While his critics in both parties reveled in the rocky start, DeSantis’ announcement marks a new chapter in his extraordinary rise from little-known congressman to two-term governor to a prominent figure in bitter fights of the nation by race, gender, abortion and others. divisive issues.
DeSantis is considered Trump’s strongest Republican challenger, even as the governor faces questions about his far-right policies, his campaign personality and his lack of relationships across the Republican ecosystem. He has generated significant interest among Republican primary voters by presenting himself as a younger, electable version of the 76-year-old former president.
The eventual Republican nominee is expected to face Democratic President Joe Biden on the November 2024 general election ballot.
DeSantis joins a field that also includes former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Former Vice President Mike Pence is also considered a likely presidential candidate, but has yet to announce a run.
By choosing Twitter, DeSantis tried to take a page out of the playbook that helped turn the famous businessman and TV personality Trump into a political star.
It didn’t go as planned.
The afternoon online event began with technical glitches that Musk said were due to “straining” the servers because so many people were trying to listen to the audio-only event. They spent more than 20 minutes past the scheduled start time with users getting kicked out, hearing microphone feedback, holding music and other technical issues.
“You can tell by the bugs that it’s real,” Musk said.
Trump’s team mocked DeSantis.
“This is a disaster. Not surprising,” Trump senior adviser Chris LaCivita tweeted.
DeSantis, who probably wouldn’t have become Florida governor without Trump’s endorsement, has embraced the former president’s fiery personality, his populist policies and even some of his rhetoric and mannerisms.
However, DeSantis has one thing his challenger does not: a credible claim that he may be more electable than Trump, who faces multiple legal threats, including criminal charges in New York, and who presided over Republican losses in three elections consecutive nationals.
DeSantis, just six months ago, won re-election in Florida by an impressive 19 percentage points, even as Republicans in many other states struggled. He also scored several major policy victories during the spring session of the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Aware of DeSantis’ draw, Trump has focused almost singularly on undermining her political appeal for months. Trump and his team believe DeSantis may be Trump’s only legitimate threat for the nomination.
Hours before the announcement, Trump argued in a social media post that “Ron DeSanctus” cannot win the general election or the GOP primary because of his past congressional votes on Social Security and Medicare.
“He desperately needs a personality transplant, and as far as I know, they’re not medically available yet,” Trump added. “A disloyal person!”
Trump allies sent a truck outside DeSantis’ planned donor meeting with an attack ad that described him as a “swamp creature.” The Democratic National Committee sent another truckload warning of DeSantis’ “extreme MAGA agenda.”
Attacks and kitchen sink nicknames won’t be DeSantis’ only obstacle.
He is a political heavyweight in Florida and a regular on Fox News, but allies acknowledge that most primary voters in other states do not know him well.
If they had paid attention on Wednesday, they might not have made a good impression. Florida’s governor spent most of the day in private. He met with donors at a luxury hotel in Miami before attempting to reach out to the public for the first time on Twitter.
Despite his lengthy resume, friends and foes alike note that DeSantis struggles to display the campaign charisma and quick thinking that often define successful national candidates. He has gone to great lengths to avoid unscripted public appearances and media scrutiny while governor, which is difficult, if not impossible, as a presidential candidate.
As an example of his level of media avoidance, his official Twitter account for the governor posted a photo shortly after the FEC filing: a law signing surrounded by dozens of cyclists for legislation to help reduce Motorcycle accidents in Florida. The media were not notified of the event in advance.
On Wednesday afternoon, DeSantis’ office announced that he signed into law a broad election bill that contains a provision that allows him to run for president without giving up his position as governor, exempting himself from a rule state known as “resignation to appear”.
Potential supporters also worry that DeSantis has refused to invest in relationships with party leaders or his fellow elected officials, raising questions about his ability to build the coalition he would need to ultimately defeat Trump. By contrast, Trump has garnered an army of supporters in key states, including Florida.
Beyond the primaries, DeSantis’ biggest long-term challenge may hinge on the far-right policies he enacted as governor as an unapologetic leader in what he calls his “war on awakening.”
Florida’s governor sent dozens of Texas immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts to draw attention to the influx of Latin American immigrants trying to cross the US-Mexico border. He signed and later expanded the Parents’ Rights to Education bill, known by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans instruction or classroom discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in public schools of Florida for all degrees.
Most recently, he signed a law banning abortion at six weeks, which is before most women realize they are pregnant. And he fired an elected prosecutor who vowed not to charge people under Florida’s new abortion restrictions or doctors who provide gender-affirming care.
DeSantis also signed a law this year that allows Florida residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit. He pushed through new measures that critics warn would weaken press freedoms. He also took control of a liberal arts college that he believed was indoctrinating students with leftist ideology.
The governor’s most high-profile political fight has come against Florida entertainment giant Disney, which publicly opposed his “Don’t Say Gay” law. In retaliation, DeSantis seized control of Disney World’s governing body and installed loyalists who threaten to take over park planning, among other extraordinary measures.
DeSantis has threatened to build a state prison next to the park property.
The dispute has drawn condemnation from business leaders and their Republican rivals, who said the measures are at odds with small-government conservatism.
DeSantis delayed announcing his campaign until the Florida legislative session ended. But for much of the year, he’s been courting primary voters in key states and using a super-allied political action committee to build a large political organization that’s essentially a campaign-in-waiting and already claims at least $30 million at the bank
Super PAC adviser David Polyansky said Trump has made “significant strategic mistakes” on policy, especially abortion, which DeSantis’ team is poised to exploit.
And more than any of his opponents, perhaps even Trump, DeSantis is positioned to hit the ground running thanks to the super PAC’s months-long effort to set up campaign infrastructure in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina , which will host the first four contests on the GOP primary schedule early next year.
In fact, the super PAC is already building DeSantis’ political operation in states holding primaries in March, signaling a very long road to the Republican presidential nomination.
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Villages reported from New York. Izaguirre reported in Tallahassee, Florida.
