Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his presidential bid in a live Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk that broke the internet as hundreds of thousands logged in to listen.
Although the Twitter stream was glitchy and users kept getting kicked off, DeSantis later joined former U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy on Fox News to discuss his plans for the presidency.
He promised to hold federal agencies accountable for abusing their authority, end Biden’s “shenanigans” on the border and secure it, and protect children from rampant sexualization and woke indoctrination.
“As president, I’m gonna make sure woke ideology ends up in the dustbin of history,” said DeSantis.
DeSantis has made a name for himself in the last few years by taking on COVID-19 shutdowns and mandates, Disney’s woke propaganda for children, indoctrination in public schools, drag shows targeting children, men in women’s sports, DEI in universities, and China’s agricultural land purchases in Florida.
In his announcement, he highlighted the border crisis, high crime rates, and how families are hurting due to the economic downturn, promising to lead a “Great American Comeback.”
I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 24, 2023
A poll by CWS Research earlier this month before DeSantis’ announcement found that 16 percent of Texas’ Republican primary voters said they would support DeSantis. Former President Donald Trump led the poll with 54 percent support.
However, in a poll from last month of Texas’ general election voters, Trump led Biden 45-42 percent, while DeSantis (who had not yet announced his presidential campaign) also led Biden 44-40 percent.
Trump announced his “comeback” campaign for the White House late last year, and the showdown between DeSantis and Trump—who continues to belittle DeSantis on Truth Social, calling him names like “Rob DeSanctimonious” and “Ron DeSanctus”—is expected to be fiery.
The primary election in Texas will be held on March 5, 2024.
