Washington: Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he would seek the 2024 Republican nomination for president, setting up a showdown with his onetime ally, former Pres. Donald TrumpThat would shake up the race to the White House.
DeSantis made the announcement in a video preceded by an audio interview. Twitter with its CEO, Elon Musk,
The Musk interview, which was intended to be a formal launch for the DeSantis campaign, was beset by technical issues that prevented listeners from hearing him, an inauspicious start for a campaign based on the governor’s executive ability.
“We need the courage to lead and the strength to win,” DeSantis said in a video posted to Twitter. “I’m Ron DeSantis, and I’m running for president to lead our great American comeback.”
With what is expected to be a rising national profile and deep financial resources, DeSantis, 44, immediately becomes Trump’s biggest rival for the Republican nomination.
But polls show Trump with a more than 2-to-1 lead over the Florida governor, who has long been considered a Republican rising star and a harbinger of a new generation of leaders in the party. Trump, who announced in November, has also begun organizing his campaign in key early voting states.
“We must end the culture of defeatism that has infected the Republican Party in recent years,” DeSantis said as he resumed the program with Musk.
Supporters and donors will be watching anxiously to see if DeSantis now takes up the fight with Trump, who has been attacking them with little retaliatory action, much to the dismay of some DeSantis allies who want him to respond more forcefully. Were.
Musk, the Tesla and Twitter CEO with 140 million Twitter followers, previously said his presence at Wednesday’s event would not be an endorsement but reflected his desire to make the service a town square.
On Wednesday, DeSantis was also expected to convene a meeting of his top donors at a Miami hotel, where he will immediately begin his fundraising efforts.
DeSantis’ central argument for his candidacy may be that he is the only Republican who can defeat Democratic President Joe Biden, who is more winnable than Trump in the 2020 election.
Mainstream Republicans will be watching DeSantis carefully to see if he can recover from his missteps on foreign policy, such as his initial reluctance to express support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
In the weeks leading up to his presidential bid, DeSantis toured the country, visiting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire that would hold early nominating contests. He has touted his record 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 have done just that.
He signed measures that severely restrict abortions in the state, made it easier for residents to carry concealed weapons, expanded a voucher program to allow students to attend private schools and public universities. Eliminated funding for diversity programs.
DeSantis remains in an acrimonious battle with The Walt Disney Company over the company’s criticism of laws prohibiting the teaching of gender identity concepts in public schools. The company has filed a federal lawsuit accusing DeSantis of weaponizing the state government to punish his actions.
Other declared Republican candidates include nikki haleyTim Scott, former US ambassador to the United Nations and US Senator from South Carolina.
DeSantis made the announcement in a video preceded by an audio interview. Twitter with its CEO, Elon Musk,
The Musk interview, which was intended to be a formal launch for the DeSantis campaign, was beset by technical issues that prevented listeners from hearing him, an inauspicious start for a campaign based on the governor’s executive ability.
“We need the courage to lead and the strength to win,” DeSantis said in a video posted to Twitter. “I’m Ron DeSantis, and I’m running for president to lead our great American comeback.”
With what is expected to be a rising national profile and deep financial resources, DeSantis, 44, immediately becomes Trump’s biggest rival for the Republican nomination.
But polls show Trump with a more than 2-to-1 lead over the Florida governor, who has long been considered a Republican rising star and a harbinger of a new generation of leaders in the party. Trump, who announced in November, has also begun organizing his campaign in key early voting states.
“We must end the culture of defeatism that has infected the Republican Party in recent years,” DeSantis said as he resumed the program with Musk.
Supporters and donors will be watching anxiously to see if DeSantis now takes up the fight with Trump, who has been attacking them with little retaliatory action, much to the dismay of some DeSantis allies who want him to respond more forcefully. Were.
Musk, the Tesla and Twitter CEO with 140 million Twitter followers, previously said his presence at Wednesday’s event would not be an endorsement but reflected his desire to make the service a town square.
On Wednesday, DeSantis was also expected to convene a meeting of his top donors at a Miami hotel, where he will immediately begin his fundraising efforts.
DeSantis’ central argument for his candidacy may be that he is the only Republican who can defeat Democratic President Joe Biden, who is more winnable than Trump in the 2020 election.
Mainstream Republicans will be watching DeSantis carefully to see if he can recover from his missteps on foreign policy, such as his initial reluctance to express support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
In the weeks leading up to his presidential bid, DeSantis toured the country, visiting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire that would hold early nominating contests. He has touted his record 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 have done just that.
He signed measures that severely restrict abortions in the state, made it easier for residents to carry concealed weapons, expanded a voucher program to allow students to attend private schools and public universities. Eliminated funding for diversity programs.
DeSantis remains in an acrimonious battle with The Walt Disney Company over the company’s criticism of laws prohibiting the teaching of gender identity concepts in public schools. The company has filed a federal lawsuit accusing DeSantis of weaponizing the state government to punish his actions.
Other declared Republican candidates include nikki haleyTim Scott, former US ambassador to the United Nations and US Senator from South Carolina.