Republican Ron DeSantis announced his candidacy for the 2024 US presidential election on Wednesday during a live Twitter chat with Elon Musk. This is the start of a battle against former President Donald Trump that promises to be acrimonious.
“I am a presidential candidate to lead the great comeback of America,” said the governor of Florida, during this exchange where Mr. Musk and he first experienced technical problems. Hundreds of thousands of users tuned in.
“Our country is heading in the wrong direction. We see it with our eyes, we feel it in our bones,” added Mr. DeSantis.
The latter had submitted his candidacy to the American electoral authorities a few hours earlier.
The 44-year-old politician’s candidacy was highly anticipated by Republicans seeking another possibility against the 76-year-old former US president, whose ideas he shares, but not his excesses.
The choice of this exchange with the boss of Twitter, moderated by Republican businessman David Sacks, for a campaign launch is however atypical.
Earlier, Elon Musk had pointed out that this is “the first time that we will experience something like this on a social network”. This exchange should not however be perceived as sponsorship, pleaded the billionaire with ambiguous political positioning.
The governor of Florida is seen as Donald Trump’s main rival for the Republican nomination. The winner of these primaries will face the candidate chosen by the Democratic Party in November 2024 – most likely Joe Biden.
Against “good thinking”
Former naval officer, Ron DeSantis gained popularity by multiplying the ultraconservative blows on education or immigration. In the name of a battle against the supposed “good-thinking”, he transformed his state into a laboratory of conservative ideas.
But his path to the White House is strewn with pitfalls.
The governor, in whom many conservatives had placed their hopes for the presidential election after his triumphant re-election in Florida in November 2022, is now seriously behind Donald Trump – officially a candidate since November 2022 – according to numerous opinion polls.
Polls that must be taken with tweezers, as the ballot is still far away, but that Donald Trump happily shares on his network, Truth Social.
The main handicap of the conservative, father of three children: a lack of charisma, pointed out from all sides. And on which the Trump camp does not hesitate to attack it.
“Announcing his candidacy on Twitter is perfect for DeSantis. That way he doesn’t need to interact with anyone, “said one of the former president’s advisers to Agence France-Presse.
Hostilities are launched. The invectives between the two men also began long before the governor of Florida launched himself, with acid statements and by interposed meetings.
“DeSantis is in desperate need of a personality transplant,” Donald Trump mocked Wednesday morning.
Surrounded by judicial inquiries, the former president threw himself headlong into his third race for the White House, mobilizing his base, which has largely remained loyal to him.
In this face-to-face with Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis will still be able to rely on an imposing war chest of 110 million dollars.
He intends to draw on these funds to try to catch up by flooding the country with advertising messages.
In a recent video from his political action committee, a man puts a “DeSantis president” sticker to cover a “Trump 2016” on a car.
This is a summary of the message that the governor wants to send to voters: elected to head Florida in 2018, with the support of… Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis claims to embody the new guard.
The other declared Republican candidates – Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy – for the moment rarely exceed 5% of voting intentions.
With The duty
