Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday that he is running for president of the United States, finalizing his decision to challenge former President Donald Trump in the Republican primary.
The 44-year-old Republican made his decision official during an audio-only interview with Twitter CEO Elon Musk. His announcement, set for 5 p.m. CT, was delayed 30 minutes due to audio issues.
“Well, I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback,” DeSantis said when he went live with Musk. “But we know our country’s going in the wrong direction. We see it with our own eyes. And we feel it in our bones.”
DeSantis joins a field of 2024 Republican candidates that includes Trump, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and radio host Larry Elder.
Some of DeSantis’ opponents poked fun at his Twitter glitch. President Joe Biden tweeted that his link worked, sending those who clicked to a fundraising page. Haley tweeted a link to her campaign announcement.
Earlier Friday, DeSantis filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission as a prelude to his announcement, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Shortly before his interview with Elon Musk via Twitter Spaces, DeSantis tweeted he would be entering the presidential race.
I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 24, 2023
A political group supporting DeSantis is planning a $100 million push to bolster the campaign, The New York Times reported Wednesday. The super PAC, Never Back Down, will hire 2,600 field organizers before Labor Day and focus on voter outreach in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.
“No one has ever contemplated the scale of this organization or operation, let alone done it,” Chris Jankowski, the group’s chief executive, told the newspaper. “This has just never even been dreamed up.”
Polls show DeSantis trailing Trump by double digits. An average of polls from RealClearPolitics from April 21-May 18 found Trump leading by nearly 37 points. Trump was the first choice among potential Republican voters, with 56.3%. DeSantis was second at 19.4%.
Republican strategist Karl Rove predicted the race will tighten as voters learn about the candidates.
“We’re likely to see the polls close a little bit over the next couple of months. There could be big changes, comparatively big changes, by the time following the debates,” Rove told Fox News. “But remember, at this point in 2008, Rudy Giuliani was way ahead and so was Hillary Clinton at this point in 2008.”
DeSantis is running as an alternative to Trump. He has told supporters that Trump cannot win in swing states against Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, in 2024.
Trump has been critical of DeSantis, frequently calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He did support DeSantis in the 2018 and 2022 Florida races for governor.
“Ron DeSanctus can’t win the General Election (or get the Nomination) because he VOTED TO OBLITERATE SOCIAL SECURITY, EVEN WANTING TO RAISE THE MINIMUM AGE TO 70 (or more!), VOTED TO BADLY WOUND MEDICARE, AND FOUGHT HARD AND VOTED FOR A 23% ‘TAX ON EVERYTHING’ SALES TAX,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site.
“He was, and is, a disciple of horrible RINO Paul Ryan, and others too many to mention. Also, he desperately needs a personality transplant, and to the best of my knowledge, they are not medically available yet. A disloyal person!”
In an Iowa campaign appearance, Haley commented on DeSantis’ candidacy.
“Welcome to the race. We’ve been waiting. I’m glad that he’s going to be out there, because I want the American people to see who they’re choosing from,” she told The Hill.
Tim Scott, who announced his candidacy on Monday, has raised $22 million for his campaign so far.
“Good luck to Senator Tim Scott in entering the Republican Presidential Primary Race,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “It is rapidly loading up with lots of people, and Tim is a big step up from Ron DeSanctimonious, who is totally unelectable.”
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