DeSantis to launch campaign on Twitter Spaces alongside Elon musk

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
24 May 2023 09:48

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will launch his Republican Presidential campaign through a Twitter Spaces conversation with Elon Musk and David Sacks.

Yard signs promoting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' 2024 campaign line the street leading up to a Republican congressional fundraiser on May 13. 2023, in Sioux Center, Iowa. (AP)

Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, is set to launch his Republican presidential nomination campaign on Wednesday evening, on a Twitter Spaces talk alongside Twitter CEO Elon Musk.

According to NBC News, the Twitter Spaces will be opened at 6:00 pm ET and the interview will be moderated by tech entrepeneur David Sacks, known to have been a DeSantis supporter and a close "confidante" of Elon Musk, according to The Guardian.

While #Washington kept details about young navy lawyer #RonDeSantis' position in #GuantanamoBay under wraps, the #Republican's role in the notorious prison camp haunts the #Florida governor who is poised to launch his presidential exploratory committee next month. pic.twitter.com/Rtfog3zrwf
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 5, 2023

The New York Times argued that Musk would “add a surprising element and give Mr. DeSantis access to a large audience online,” highlighting that in parallel, Musk would also “inject a level of risk into a rollout that is expected to be carefully scripted and ensure that Mr. DeSantis’s first impression as a presidential candidate will be aligning himself with … an eccentric businessman who has ranked at times as the world’s richest man.”

The National correspondent of Fox News, Bill Melugin, wrote on Twitter that it is confirmed that "Florida Governor @RonDeSantis will announce his 2024 Presidential run tomorrow night, 6pm ET in a Twitter Spaces interview with @elonmusk." To that end, Musk retweeted Melugin's tweet confirming, once again, the statement.

BREAKING: @FoxNews confirms Florida Governor @RonDeSantis will announce his 2024 Presidential run tomorrow night, 6pm ET in a Twitter Spaces interview with @elonmusk.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 23, 2023

Democratic congressman, Maxwell Frost, criticized the announcement on Tuesday, also in a tweet where he wrote: "On a Twitter space? [Laugh my ass off] this is so lame.”

Republican turned co-founder of the Lincoln Project, Rick Wilson explained, in a quote tweet of the NBC News post, that the Musk-DeSantis conversation will be “to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, the unspeakable in pursuit of the unelectable.”

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, the unspeakable in pursuit of the unelectable. https://t.co/6tKAHF3hRB
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) May 23, 2023

DeSantis secured a wide base of endorsements from Iowa lawmakers on Saturday after completing a visit in the early-voting state.

About 37 Republican Iowa state senators and representatives have so far declared their support for DeSantis, according to the Super Pac Never Back Down.

Several other candidates are running on the Republican ticket, including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley who is somewhat trailing in the polls, while Mike Pence, Trump's former Vice President, is also said to be mulling a run.

US media reports that a more formal event could follow the meeting.

DeSantis, who generally lags behind Trump in the polls, has in recent months experienced some challenges in attracting funding from key Republican donors.