Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially commenced his United States presidential campaign amidst a turbulent and glitch-ridden broadcast on Twitter, following months of eager anticipation. After a delay of over twenty minutes due to technical issues, DeSantis emphasized the need for courageous leadership and a determination to emerge victorious.
After a 25-minute delay due to technical glitches, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took to Twitter’s audio platform on Wednesday to make a significant announcement: his entry into the Republican presidential primary.#RonDeSantis #RonDeSantis2024 #DeSantis2024 #DeSantis #Twitter pic.twitter.com/nEW9c7YRQR
— News Live (@NewsLiveFree) May 25, 2023
With the promise that his inauguration would take place on January 201th, 2025, at noon on the west side of the U.S. Capitol, he expressed his ambition to become the 47th president. The initial Twitter broadcast, overseen by Twitter CEO Elon Musk and conservative entrepreneur David Sacks, encountered numerous early setbacks, prompting remarks about the frequent crashes. The hists attributed these challenges to the overwhelming volume of online participants, leading to strain on the servers.
I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 24, 2023
Republican Presidential Field Expands
DeSantis’s tumultuous announcement on Wednesday sets the stage for a likely clash with former President Donald Trump, widely regarded as the leading candidate within the GOP Party. Other notable contenders from the Republican side include Senator Tim Scott, former United Nations envoy Nikki Haley, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. It is also highly likely that former Vice President Mike Pence, who served under Trump, will enter the presidential race.
In response to DeSantis’s faltering Twitter broadcast, the Trump and Haley campaign teams took to social media to showcase their smoother campaign launches. Trump Jr., the former president’s elder son, expressed his opinion on Twitter. He compared DeSantis and former Florida Jeb Bush, whose 2016 campaign was unsuccessful, stating, “DeSantis is making JEB!” He also labeled the broadcast a “#DeSanter.”
The Republican presidential primary victor will confront the Democratic nominee in the upcoming 2024 election, where the current President, Joe Biden, will likely be the party’s nominee. On Wednesday, Biden seemingly criticized the governor’s technical mishaps by tweeting a call-to-action to donate to his campaign, accompanied by the remark, “This link functions properly.”
We’re so proud of @TeamHaley and our incredible campaign launch.
Here’s a throwback to February 15th when @NikkiHaley jumped into the arena. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/zIq2eIv4dl
— Ken Farnaso (@KLF) May 24, 2023
Formerly Endorsed by Trump, Governor Emerges as Rival
DeSantis, once locked by Trump during his initial run for governor in 2018, has since gained national recognition among conservative circles for his advocacy of right-wing policies within Florida. Recent public opinion polls indicate a substantial lead for Trump over DeSantis in a hypothetical primary face-off. However, with the former president grappling with legal issues, including criminal charges in New York, the Florida governor aims to narrow the gap in the forthcoming months.
Trump frequently criticizes DeSantis and highlights his poll number on his Truth Social account. Yet, thus far, the Florida governor has primarily disregarded the former president’s criticism. The initial Republican primaries are scheduled for early 2024 in Iowa.
Aged 44, Ron DeSantis, a former congressman and U.S. Navy veteran, is expected to position himself as an alternative to Trump throughout his presidential campaign. He aims to showcase his ability to extend the successful implementation of a right-wing agenda in Florida to the national stage. Following last year’s U.S. midterm elections, where the Republican Party underperformed, many conservative commentators blamed Trump.
However, during the same election, DeSantis secured a comfortable re-election victory in Florida. Recently, DeSantis asserted that he would be a superior nominee compared to Trump, highlighting his potential to serve for eight years and solidify the conservative majority in the Supreme Court. In contrast, the former president could only serve four years due to term limits. DeSantis mentioned the possibility of nominating replacements for Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito, both conservative justices on the Supreme Court, over the following two presidential terms.
Controversy Surrounds Florida’s Policy “Blueprint”
DeSantis’s right-wing policies, which include efforts to restrict discussions on racism and sexuality in schools, have drawn criticism from Democrats who denounce them as bigoted and perilous. Actively presenting his platform in Florida as a model for the entire nation, as depicted in his bio “The Courage to Be Free,” DeSantis has faced backlash.
Democratic Florida State House Representative Anna Eskamani voiced her concerns in a statement on Wednesday, declaring, “Governor Ron DeSantis is an extremist who espouses freedom while eroding our freedoms as Floridians. Whether it’s the six-week abortion ban, targeting the LGBTQ+ community, infringing on academic freedom, undermining labor unions, or weakening gun laws and consumer protections, DeSantis disregards the needs of ordinary people, and Americans should reject his candidacy for president.”
Source: Web
Unveiling the Presidential Campaign on Twitter
The initial half-hour witnessed prolonged periods of silence, intermittently punctuated by the ambient sounds of typing and clicking. Sacks and Musk aimed to present Wednesday’s broadcast as an unprecedented “historic Twitter Spaces event” and a groundbreaking moment in social media history. However, their introduction was interrupted mere seconds into their speech as the audio abruptly cut off mid-sentence.
He touched upon issues concerning border security, crime rates, and the struggles faced by the middle class. DeSantis further asserted, “Our president lacks vitality, faltering when confronted with our nation’s challenges and succumbing to the whims of the woke movement. But I firmly believe that it doesn’t have to be this way. The decline of America is not an inevitable fate; it is a conscious choice.”
As part of his presidential agenda, DeSantis made a firm commitment to declare a “national emergency” at the US-Mexico border on his first day in office, vowing to continue the construction of the border wall—a contentious project closely associated with his rival, Trump. Additionally, he pledged to bring government bureaucracy under control, which he characterized as “unrestrained” and susceptible to the whims of unelected officials.
DeSantis asserted, “Get ready for action when I take charge because the current state of affairs is unacceptable.” He emphasized that government agencies should not automatically receive the same level of funding every year, urging a reevaluation of their budgets. Among the agencies in DeSantis’s focus was the Federal Reserve, the country’s central banking system, as he argued against its role as a significant economic planner for the nation, stating, “They should not hold that power.”
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