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After months of speculation, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will announce his 2024 presidential campaign on the Twitter Spaces online forum Wednesday afternoon, NBC News reported Tuesday, launching a bid to challenge his onetime ally, former President Donald Trump.
Governor of Florida. Ron DeSantis will reportedly announce his 2024 presidential campaign on Twitter … [+]
Basic facts
DeSantis plans to announce his presidential bid in a conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk and will release an official campaign video Wednesday night, unnamed sources told NBC News.
DeSantis, who is trailing Trump in a hypothetical 2024 primary, would become the latest GOP official to seek the GOP nomination, following the former South Carolina governor. Nikki Haley and Sen. Rick Scott (RS.C.).
What to watch?
More RPA presidential candidates. Governor of New Hampshire. Chris Sununu (R) is rumored to be preparing for a presidential bid after he launched a fundraising group earlier this month and told CBS News three weeks ago that he plans to make a decision “within the next month.” Former Vice President Mike Pence is also rumored to challenge his former running mate in the 2024 GOP primary and is backed by the super PAC Committed to America. Other possible candidates include the governor of North Dakota. Doug Burgum (R), former governor of New Jersey. Chris Christie and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Opposite
Despite DeSantis’ national spotlight, the two-term Florida governor has come under fire from Democrats and some Republicans in recent months amid a political battle with Disney, one of the state’s largest employers. The controversy began after Disney criticized DeSantis for the state’s controversial so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law (Florida lawmakers expanded the law earlier this month to ban public school teachers from teaching about gender identity or sexual orientation through eighth grade). In response, state lawmakers took control of Walt Disney World’s locally-governed special district, and a new district board appointed by DeSantis canceled a last-minute development agreement with Disney that had been signed before the company lost control, forcing Disney- to sue DeSantis. Last week, Disney canceled its nearly $1 billion plan for corporate offices in Florida, a massive project that would have brought roughly 2,000 jobs to the sunshine state. Trump criticized DeSantis for “single-handedly” costing Florida huge investments and thousands of jobs, claiming DeSantis, his one-time ally, is “too weak to fight for his state.”
Amazing Fact
The Trump-aligned super PAC has also gone after DeSantis in a series of attack ads, including a disturbing TV ad mocking DeSantis for allegedly swallowing a cup of chocolate pudding with her fingers. Another ad from MAGA Inc. The PAC accuses DeSantis of planning to raise taxes if elected, calling him “Ron DeSalesTax” (Trump routinely uses the nicknames “Ron ‘DeSanctimonious'” and “Ron DeSanctus” in speeches and on his social media platform Truth Social).
Further reading
2024 GOP presidential candidates: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott announced his candidacy (Forbes)
DeSantis is doubling down on the war with Disney. ‘Zero’ Chance State Will Withdraw After Canceling $1 Billion Project (Forbes)