Ron DeSantis’ campaign launch on Twitter beset by technical glitches

Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign began with a whimper, not a bang, on Wednesday evening after the Florida governor married billionaire Elon Musk after a technical glitch at the launch event.

The DeSantis campaign and Musk widely publicized a live launch event on Twitter on Wednesday evening using the social media platform’s audio streaming feature, Twitter Spaces. The event started about half an hour late after Musk failed repeatedly in his attempts to initiate a conversation.

More than half a million Twitter users who tuned in at 6 p.m. local time heard long stretches of silence, with Musk saying “the servers are under some stress”, and “I think we’re back online?”

Finally, Musk and his co-host, David Sachs, the founding chief operating officer of PayPal, successfully began the broadcast by congratulating DeSantis on “breaking the Internet”.

DeSantis launched into a shortened version of his stump speech, telling the audience: “I am running for President of the United States to lead our great American comeback.”

The conversation continued with a question-and-answer session with periodic interruptions in the audio feed.

It was an inauspicious start for the Republican governor, who has slipped in opinion polls and faces mounting skepticism from deep-pocketed donors who question his approach to social issues such as abortion. It was an equally high-profile blow to Musk, a self-described free speech autocrat and Tesla chief executive who bought Twitter last year for $44bn.

DeSantis nevertheless praised Musk: “You had to put your money where your mouth is, because I think you recognized that you can’t have a free society until we have the freedom to debate the most important issues.” who are affecting our civilization.

“I think what’s done on Twitter is really important for the future of our country,” he said. “We cannot have a society in which the government is colluding with major tech platforms to enforce a norm.”

DeSantis’ allies said his campaign debut on Twitter underscored the governor’s unorthodox approach and willingness to undermine the status quo.

Some fellow Republicans are doubting DeSantis’ leadership, however, including his feud with Walt Disney over the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The media company has filed a lawsuit against the governor and his administration.

DeSantis defended his approach to Disney in a Wednesday Twitter broadcast, saying: “I think some of these Republicans who are taking sides with Disney are basically projecting themselves as corporatists . . . apparently. But we’re going to defend our actions because we feel we have the right to do what we did.

Earlier on Wednesday, DeSantis filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to formally launch his campaign, ending months of speculation about when he would run to challenge Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. formally bid for

DeSantis also posted a one-minute video on social media that focused on the governor standing alone in front of an American flag while an orchestral soundtrack swelled.

“Falling is a choice. Success is attainable. And freedom is worth fighting for,” DeSantis says in the ad. “I’m Ron DeSantis, and I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback.”

Trump remains the undisputed frontrunner in an increasingly crowded field of Republicans vying for the party’s nomination in 2024. The latest Real Clear Politics average of opinion polls shows the former president commands the support of more than half of Republican voters, followed by DeSantis. more than 20 percent.

Other candidates and potential candidates are behind by single digits, including Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence and Republican Senator Tim Scott.

The Trump campaign pulled no punches in attacking DeSantis’ launch, issuing a statement on Wednesday: “Fucked up. technical issues. uncomfortable silence. Completely failed to launch. And that’s just the candidate!

Trump was not the only DeSantis detractor to target the governor over his launch. President Joe Biden took a dig at DeSantis on Twitter Wednesday evening, while the social media broadcast was faltering.

“This link works,” Biden tweeted, directing people to donate to his 2024 re-election bid.