Florida governor and former military officer Ron DeSantis has announced his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in a live-streamed Twitter chat with the platform’s owner Elon Musk on Wednesday, May 25.
However, the launch of 44-year-old's United States presidential campaign was filled with several glitches and technical issues, which delayed his official announcement by 20 minutes.
"I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback," he announced to those who tuned in, however, thousands had already abandoned Twitter by the time he started.
The broadcast was hosted by Twitter CEO Elon Musk and controversial entrepreneur David Sacks. The entrepreneur’s support for the Florida governor’s campaign becomes crucial to outshine former president Donald Trump, who also launched his bid and has an overwhelming lead in the polls.
DeSantis, a US Navy veteran had vocally backed Trump during his past two election bids for 2016 and 2020, the former of which he had won.
“If you nominate me, you can set your clock to January 20th, 2025, at high noon because on the west side of the US Capitol, I will be taking the oath of office as the 47th president,” he said during the broadcast.
The first Republican primaries are scheduled to take place in Iowa early in 2024.
Who is Ron DeSantis?
A Harvard Law School graduate, the Florida-born politician first ran for Congress in 2012, after which was elected to Congress thrice. He served in the US Navy during which he went to Iraq and Guantanamo Bay.
The Republican governor boasts deep midwestern roots, a sizeable campaign fund, an “anti-woke” agenda, a list of ultra-conservative legislative wins and a record of election victories, and his easy sweep in Florida last year.
DeSantis’ War on “Woke”
Known for his ultra-conservative record as governor of Florida, DeSantis has been proposing to use his work in his state as the blueprint for the country. He has positioned himself as a Republican candidate who can effectively implement right-wing policies in the US.
In an interview with Fox News, DeSantis attacked the American left saying,
“The woke mind virus is basically a form of Cultural Marxism. At the end of the day, it's an attack on the truth, and because it's a war on truth, I think we have no choice but to wage a war on woke."
His biggest policy highlights include signing laws that ban LGBTQ education in public schools, defunding diversity, equity and inclusion programmes at colleges and universities, banning abortions at six weeks, enacting a law which allows residents of Florida to carry a concealed firearm without a permit and a public feud with Disney.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)