Wednesday May 24, 2023
Reports indicate that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is poised to make a major announcement regarding his political future. According to US media, DeSantis will officially announce his bid for the 2024 presidential race during a special discussion with Elon Musk on Wednesday.
Musk, Twitter's CEO, will host a Twitter Spaces event with DeSantis at 6 p.m. local time. The highly anticipated event will also include the release of a campaign video later in the evening, according to NBC News.
A rising star within the Republican Party, DeSantis is seen as a prominent contender and potential challenger to former President Donald Trump. His decision to enter the 2024 race puts him among a growing list of Republican candidates seeking the party's nomination.
Twitter Spaces, a platform that allows creators to have audio conversations on Twitter, will serve as the launch pad for this major campaign. The announcement drew attention when Elon Musk retweeted a Fox News tweet about the upcoming Twitter Spaces meeting on Tuesday to his massive following of 140 million followers.
During a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) event, Musk emphasized the historic nature of the upcoming announcement, saying it would be the first time such a statement has appeared on social media. While it remains unclear whether Musk's involvement represents an explicit endorsement of DeSantis, the tech mogul has previously expressed his support for a potential 2024 Florida gubernatorial bid, stressing the importance of a reasonable and centrist candidate.
NBC News reported that tech entrepreneur David Sacks, a known supporter of DeSantis, will host Wednesday's event. The announcement coincides with the first day of a fundraising event in Miami where DeSantis' supporters will be briefed on the upcoming campaign, ending months of speculation surrounding the governor's presidential aspirations.
DeSantis' tenure as governor of Florida was marked by the implementation of various conservative policies, such as expanding gun laws, imposing restrictions on sex and gender identity education in public schools, and imposing new limits on abortion.
Over the next few months, he is expected to present himself as the consummate politician with a track record of success in conservative politics, positioning himself as a viable alternative to the "drama" associated with a Donald Trump presidency.
While Trump has left Twitter to start his own platform called Truth Social, choosing Twitter to launch DeSantis' campaign represents an opportunity to reach a larger audience and tap into Musk's vast fan base. With its significantly larger user base, Twitter offers the potential for more publicity and exposure for DeSantis' presidential bid.
