MIAMI (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis kicked off his 2024 presidential crusade Wednesday with strong words, but a disastrous announcement on Twitter did little to counter complaints that the 44-year-old Republican might not be in a position to take on former President Donald Trump.
While trying to build trust, DeSantis’ resolve to announce his crusade in an online verbal exchange with Twitter CEO Elon Musk ultimately failed. .
“American decline is not inevitable, it’s a choice. And we decided on a new direction, a path that will lead to American revitalization,” DeSantis said in the stream of failures, passing through his conservative achievements. “I am running for president of the United States to lead our wonderful American comeback. “
While his critics in either party rejoiced at the rocky start, DeSantis’ announcement marks a new bankruptcy in his ordinary rise from little-known congressman to two-term governor to a figurehead in the nation’s bitter struggles over race, sex, abortion and other divisives. affairs.
DeSantis’ path to the Republican presidential nomination will be easy.
He enters the race for Trump in early polls as he faces serious questions about his far-right policies, crusading personality and lack of connections in the Republican ecosystem. He aroused abundant interest among the number one electorate of the Republican Party by presenting himself as a more electable young man. Edition of the 76-year-old former president.
He didn’t mention Trump once in his discussion with Musk that ultimately lasted more than an hour. But he said he was fit to fight.
“Buckle up when you get in there, because the prestige quo is acceptable,” DeSantis said.
The Republican nominee is expected to face Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 2024 general election.
DeSantis joins a heritage that also includes former U. N. 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 likely a presidential candidate, but has yet to announce a candidacy. .
Opting to Twitter Wednesday night, DeSantis attempted to remove a page from the playbook that helped turn the businessman and television Trump’s celebrity into a political star.
It happened as planned.
The online event started with technical issues that Musk said were due to “strained” servers because so many other people were looking to listen to the audio-only event. They spent more than 20 minutes beyond the scheduled start time when users were kicked out. Listen to microphone feedback, music on hold, and other technical issues.
“You can tell through the bugs that it’s real,” Musk said.
DeSantis’ warring Republican parties piled up.
Haley’s PAC lead superstrategist Mark Harris ruthless: “Soft launch failure?Check. Lost listing? Please double-check. We look forward to Ron DeSantis’ failed campaign.
Trump went further: “Wow, the launch of DeSanctus TWITTER is a DISASTER!His crusade will be a disaster. LOOK!” He wrote on his social media site: “Is the DeSantis release FATAL?Yes!”
Still, DeSantis’ crusade said it raised $1 million online within the first hour of the announcement.
“We had a massive audience,” DeSantis said in a later interview on Fox News, when asked about the technical difficulties. “It was the biggest audience they’ve ever had. It broke the Twitter space. We are excited about the enthusiasm.
DeSantis, who probably wouldn’t be governor of Florida without Trump’s approval, has embraced the former president’s feisty personality, populist policies and even some of his rhetoric and mannerism.
However, DeSantis has one thing his rival doesn’t: a credible claim that he could be more electable than Trump, who faces legal threats, adding fees from scammers in New York, and who has presided over Republican defeats in 3 consecutive national elections.
DeSantis, just six months ago, won re-election in Florida by 19 percentage points, even as Republicans in many other states struggled. He also scored several primary-policy victories in the spring poll of the Republican-controlled legislature.
“We’ve got to win again,” DeSantis said on Fox. As Republicans, we want to make this culture of defeat. “
Aware of DeSantis’ appeal, Trump has focused almost exclusively on undermining his political appeal for months. Trump and his DeSantis team would likely be Trump’s only valid risk to the nomination.
Hours before the announcement, Trump argued in a social media post that “Ron DeSanctus” won the general election or the GOP’s number one because of his previous congressional votes on Social Security and Medicare.
“He desperately desires a personality transplant and, to my knowledge, they are still medically available,” Trump added. “A disloyal person!”
Sink attacks and nicknames may not be DeSantis’ only obstacle.
He’s a political heavyweight in Florida and a regular on Fox News, but his allies acknowledge that the number one electorate in other states doesn’t know him well.
Despite his long resume, friends and foes alike note that DeSantis struggles to demonstrate the crusading air of mystery and quick thinking that profiles successful candidates nationally. He went to great lengths to avoid unscripted public appearances and media scrutiny while he was governor. , which is difficult, if not impossible, as a presidential candidate.
Florida’s governor spent most of Wednesday behind closed doors.
In an example of his point of media evasion, his official Twitter account of the governor posted a photo shortly after the FEC: a signed bill surrounded by dozens of motorcyclists for the law to decrease motorcycle injuries in Florida. The media was not informed of the occasion in advance.
On Wednesday night, DeSantis announced that he had signed a sweeping election bill containing a provision that allowed him to run for president without resigning as governor, exempting himself from a state rule known as “resign to run. “
Potential supporters also worry that DeSantis has refused to invest in relationships with party leaders or other elected officials, raising questions about his ability to build the coalition that would ultimately want to beat Trump. In contrast, Trump has brought back an army of supporters. in key states, adding Florida.
Beyond the main one, DeSantis’ biggest long-term challenge arguably lies in the far-right policies he has adopted as governor as a shameless leader in what he calls his “war on rebirth. “
Florida’s governor sent dozens of immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts, to draw attention to the influx of Latino immigrants seeking to cross the U. S. -Mexico border. He signed and then expanded the Parental Rights in Education Act, known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans instruction or discussion of LGBTQ issues in Florida public schools for all levels.
More recently, he enacted a law banning abortions at six weeks, before most women knew they were pregnant. And he accused an elected prosecutor who vowed not to label other people as the subject of Florida’s new abortion restrictions or doctors who provide gender-affirming care.
DeSantis also signed a law this year allowing Florida citizens to bring concealed firearms without a license. He pushed for new measures that critics say would weaken press freedom.
The governor’s highest-profile political fight came against Florida entertainment giant Disney, which has publicly opposed his “Don’t Say Gay” law. Park planning.
“We will never move on to the awakened crowd and leave the awakened ideology in the dustbin of history,” he once the Twitter feed worked.
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Izaguirre reported from Tallahassee, Florida. AP writers J. J. Cooper in Phoenix and Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed.