Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is set to announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election in a virtual event with Twitter CEO Elon Musk. The announcement is scheduled to take place on Wednesday during a Twitter Spaces conversation moderated by tech entrepreneur David Sacks, a close ally of Elon Musk. Following the online appearance, the DeSantis campaign will release an official launch video.
At 44 years old, DeSantis is considered to be former President Donald Trump’s main rival for the Republican Party’s nomination. However, Trump currently maintains a significant lead in national opinion polls. The upcoming primary elections, starting in February next year, will determine the Republican candidate who will challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the general election scheduled for November 2024.
Twitter Spaces, a platform for live audio conversations, will serve as the venue for this unique announcement. Elon Musk, with his massive following of 140 million users, retweeted a Fox News tweet about the upcoming Twitter Spaces event. It remains unclear whether Musk and DeSantis will physically appear together and whether Musk’s hosting of the launch indicates his support for DeSantis’ campaign.
During a recent Wall Street Journal event, Musk stated that this announcement on social media would be the first of its kind. While he claimed not to be endorsing any candidate, Musk expressed his desire to use Twitter as a public town square.
DeSantis’ announcement coincides with the start of a fundraising retreat in Miami, where his supporters will receive briefings on the upcoming campaign. This long-awaited announcement ends months of speculation surrounding DeSantis’ presidential aspirations. As governor of Florida, DeSantis has implemented policies expanding gun ownership, imposing restrictions on sex and gender identity education in public schools, and enacting limits on abortion.
In the coming months, DeSantis is expected to position himself as an accomplished politician with a strong conservative policy record, aiming to distinguish himself from the daily drama associated with Trump’s presidency. While Trump now utilizes his own platform, Truth Social, DeSantis will leverage Twitter’s larger user base to gain broader publicity for his campaign. Furthermore, the association with Elon Musk and his significant fan base may provide additional exposure for DeSantis’ presidential bid.
