Republican Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, is anticipated to declare his candidacy for the 2024 White House nomination, opposing former President Donald Trump. DeSantis scheduled to kick off his presidential bid on Wednesday during a live Twitter event with Elon Musk.
Republican Ron DeSantis is set to announce his highly anticipated challenge to Donald Trump for the party’s 2024 White House nomination on Wednesday. He will emphasize his ultra-conservative record as governor of Florida as a blueprint for the nation.
According to a source familiar with the plans, DeSantis was scheduled to kick off his presidential bid during a live Twitter event with Elon Musk, the platform’s mercurial owner, told AFP.
Long seen as the most credible challenger to the twice-impeached Trump, DeSantis has utilized his position as Florida’s chief executive to bolster his conservative credentials. He has signed off on 80 new state laws this spring, many of which target “woke indoctrination” in schools and other public institutions.
These laws include a ban on discussing gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, a restriction on funding for diversity and inclusion efforts at public universities, and one of the country’s most stringent abortion laws.
However, despite a series of right-wing legislative victories in his state, the 44-year-old’s official campaign launch comes as his ratings are declining.
After a resounding reelection victory last November, DeSantis was hailed as “DeFUTURE” by The New York Post. However, in recent months, expectations of a dynamic campaign propelling him into the Oval Office have diminished.
A number of policy missteps, both domestic and on the international stage, have raised concerns about his preparedness to challenge the former president. Donors worry that he may have peaked too soon.
DeSantis faces the daunting task of narrowing a significant polling gap, with Trump holding leads of nearly 40 percentage points. This is despite Trump’s indictment on felony financial charges and being found liable for sexual abuse in a New York civil trial.
Nevertheless, DeSantis enters the campaign with a substantial financial advantage over his rivals vying to challenge Trump. He has a war chest of potentially over $100 million and has experienced strong turnout at recent campaign events.
Although DeSantis has typically avoided the mainstream media, he has recently engaged with traditional national press and local reporters during campaign stops. However, for his major announcement, he will bypass the press and make it on social media with Musk.
Behind the scenes, both the Trump and DeSantis camps have been striving to secure political endorsements from state lawmakers. At the national level, Florida’s congressional delegation has predominantly favored Trump.
Despite facing daily attacks from Trump on his record, character, and fitness for office, DeSantis has largely refrained from retaliating. He has made it clear that, for now, he would prefer to avoid a bitter conflict with Trump’s most fervent supporters.
Miroslava Salazar with AFP
