Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election on May 24th, in an unconventional move on Twitter Spaces, the audio-only platform of the social media giant.[0] The announcement was made during an event that was supposed to include an uninterrupted conversation between DeSantis and Elon Musk, Twitter’s CEO and owner, but was plagued with technical difficulties from the start. The sound cut out multiple times, feedback sounded once, and DeSantis was demoted from Speaker to Listener three times.[1] The event was initially delayed and then cut out a few minutes through, prompting criticism from both the left and the right.[0] Musk had to restart the event from a different account, and only about 250,000 people ended up listening to DeSantis’s big moment.[0]
The incident is seen as a blow to both DeSantis and Musk.[0] [0] Political experts say DeSantis will need to bounce back if he has a hope of besting former President Donald Trump, who ridiculed the tech fiasco, for the 2024 GOP nomination.[0] [0]
DeSantis’s campaign is expected to focus heavily on his record as governor of Florida, with a message that boils down to “Make America Florida.” He used his announcement to punch back at the NAACP’s travel advisory targeting his state.[1] [2] DeSantis remarked, “Claiming that Florida is unsafe is a total farce.[1] You look at cities around this country, they are awash in crime.[1] In Florida, our crime rate is at a 50-year low.[1] You look at the top 25 cities for crime in America, Florida does not have a single one amongst the top 25.
0. “5 things to know for May 25: Ron DeSantis, Russia, Debt limit, January 6, Florida” CNN, 25 May. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/25/us/five-things-may-25-trnd/index.html
1. “Ron DeSantis announces bid for president, despite Twitter meltdown” Tallahassee Democrat, 25 May. 2023, https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2023/05/24/ron-desantis-presidential-run-republican-nomination-live-updates-elon-musk-twitter-spaces/70183363007/
2. “Trump’s bizarre reaction to DeSantis’ announcement sparks confusion online” Fox News, 25 May. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trumps-bizarre-reaction-desantis-announcement-sparks-confusion-online
3. “DeSantis signs law allowing him to run for president while remaining governor” The Washington Post, 25 May. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/05/24/desantis-florida-election-law
4. “DeSantis signs sweeping new election laws. What’s inside HB 7050” Pensacola News Journal, 24 May. 2023, https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/2023/05/23/florida-desantis-governor-resign-to-run-president-election-law-sb-7050/70250128007/
5. “DeSantis signs bill that says he can remain governor while running for president” Miami Herald, 24 May. 2023, https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article275737821.html
6. “DeSantis’s Launch Was Not the Only Thing That Crashed” The Atlantic, 25 May. 2023, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/05/ron-desantis-presidential-launch-twitter-crash/674189/
