Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign reportedly raised $1 million within an hour of its launch.
This claim was made by DeSantis’ press secretary, Bryan Griffin, in a Wednesday tweet.
“There was so much enthusiasm for Governor DeSantis’ vision for our Great American Comeback that he literally busted up the internet. Washington is next,” he said. “$1 million raised online in one hour… and counting,”
Griffin previously worked as press secretary for the Florida governor’s office but resigned to join DeSantis’ campaign.
As reported by The Dallas Express, the Republican governor announced his presidential bid in a Wednesday audio-only interview on Twitter with Elon Musk, the platform’s owner.
The announcement was scheduled for 5 p.m. CST but was delayed about 30 minutes due to technical issues.
Griffin’s tweet claiming the campaign had already raised $1 million was posted at 6:38 CST that evening.
“I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback,” DeSantis said in his interview 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.”
In a subsequent campaign announcement video, DeSantis focused on border security, crime, and economic security for American families.
I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 24, 2023
“Righting the ship requires restoring sanity to our society, normalcy to our communities, and integrities to our institutions,” he said. “Truth must be our foundation, and common sense can no longer be an uncommon virtue.”
“In Florida, we proved that it can be done,” he continued. “We held the line when freedom hung in the balance. We showed that we can and we must revitalize America.”
DeSantis dubbed his campaign “Our Great American Comeback.”
Former president Donald Trump did not react kindly to DeSantis officially challenging his effort to reclaim the presidency.
In a series of ads responding to DeSantis’ announcement, Trump characterized “Ron DeSanctimonious” as little more than a cheap imitation of himself and claimed that DeSantis only became governor of Florida because Trump endorsed him.