Gov. Ron DeSantis filed his paperwork on Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission to run for president.
DeSantis was expected to make his 2024 plans official in a Twitter Spaces conversation with CEO Elon Musk later Wednesday.
By joining the Republican primary field, DeSantis becomes the top rival to Donald Trump. The former president blasted his rival on social media.
“Look, Rob DeSanctimonious came to me asking for help. He was losing badly, by 31 points, to popular Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam,” Trump wrote. “Ron told me he had one last chance, my Support & Endorsement, which Putnam, and everyone else, wanted also. I gave it to Ron, and the race was over. In one day, he went from losing badly, to winning by a lot. With 3 LARGE TRUMP RALLIES, he WON THE GENERAL ELECTION in an upset. DISLOYAL!!!”
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison criticized DeSantis’ entry into the race.
“Ron DeSantis has pushed an extreme MAGA agenda focused on ripping Floridians’ freedoms away and now he wants to take that agenda nationwide,” Harrison said in a statement.
“One thing is guaranteed — whoever makes it out will only have done so by catering to the most MAGA, right-wing Republicans in the primary.”