It was no surprise when Gov. Ron DeSantis officially threw his hat into the ring for the 2024 Presidential primary election, but he made history by announcing his candidacy on Twitter and brought down the social media platform in the process. Vowing to “lead the Great American Comeback,” DeSantis formally announced his bid for the Presidency on May 24 on Twitter Spaces.
During his kickoff speech, he extolled his successes as Florida’s chief executive, including a mention of the 50-year low in crime and the fact that schools and businesses remained open while many states were shuttered in response to the COVID pandemic. Meanwhile, he promised to “restore sanity” to communities throughout the country and to reestablish “integrity” in the nation’s institutions. “Reestablished integrity in our institutions means we must reinvigorate our Constitutional system by returning the government to its rightful owners – we the people,” DeSantis said.
“Commonsense can no longer be an uncommon virtue.”
He also promised to shut down the Border, rebuild the country’s inflation-plagued economy, and “leave woke ideology in the dustbin of history.”
“If you nominate me, you can set your clock to January 20, 2025, at high noon – because on the west side of the US capital, I will be taking the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States,” DeSantis said. “No excuses, I will get the job done – buckle up when I get in there because the status quo is not acceptable.”
In a written statement, Florida State Representative Jeff Holcomb (R-Spring Hill) called DeSantis the right man for the job. “If the Republican Party is going to take back the White House, they need to nominate the most successful Governor this country has to offer,” Holcomb’s statement read. “America needs Governor Ron DeSantis as President of the United States!”
Meanwhile, one detractor blasted DeSantis as the most anti-family candidate in recent years on grounds that during his Florida governorship, he signed a 6-week abortion ban, banned books, and restricted teachers from presenting critical race theory (CRT) in some of their classrooms.
“He has turned the Sunshine State into a dark place for families and children to live in,” said Ailen Arreaza, executive director of the national parent advocacy organization Parents Together Action. “As parents from all different backgrounds, we know all about tireless work, and in our president, we need someone who will work tirelessly on our behalf – Ron DeSantis couldn’t be less up to the task.”
When he officially kicked off his campaign, DeSantis joined a field of GOP Presidential hopefuls, including front-runner former President Donald Trump, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, the Trump administration’s ambassador to the United Nations, and former Governor of South Carolina, tech and finance industry businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, and conservative talk show host Larry Elder.
By making his announcement on Twitter Spaces, DeSantis became the first Presidential candidate to kick off his campaign on social media. When he did, the listening audience at one point topped 600,000 and melted down the platform connection at least three times.
