MIAMI, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis is officially in the race for President, announcing his candidacy in a video post on Twitter before joining a Twitter Spaces discussion with the company’s CEO Elon Musk Wednesday evening.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
DeSantis’ entry to the race comes as no surprise, as his candidacy has been rumored for more than a year at this point.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
“I’m Ron DeSantis and I’m running for President to lead our great American comeback,” DeSantis said in his official campaign launch video posted to Twitter Wednesday evening.
Immediately following the video’s release, DeSantis joined in a livestreamed conversation on Twitter Spaces, but as more than 650,000 users attempted to listen in the stream was shut down after 19 minutes of technical issues.
“We are kind of melting the servers, which is a good sign,” David Sacks, the Twitter Spaces host said before the livestream was pulled.
Related Story: Ron DeSantis officially announces presidential bid; Twitter Spaces crash causes delay
A few minutes later the stream was back up and running reaching a peak of more than 300,000 listeners.
DeSantis fielded questions from high-profile figures and supporters on a wide array of topics ranging from cryptocurrency, culture wars and immigration.
“We can and we must deliver big results for America. I pledge to be an energetic executive that will take on the important issues,” DeSantis said.
The DeSantis’ campaign is shrugging off the technical difficulties experienced during the virtual launch.
“There is so much enthusiasm for Governor DeSantis’ vision for our Great American Comeback that he literally busted up the internet. Washington is next,” DeSantis campaign spokesperson Bryan Griffin said.
In the lead up to the announcement anti-DeSantis groups, including those backing former President Donald Trump, released multiple attack ads.
“In Washington one was a leader and one let us down,” the narrator in a video published by pro-Trump Make America Great Again Inc. said.
Another ad posted by DeSantisWatch_ criticized the Florida Governor, accusing him of abandoning the people of his state to seek higher office.
“The fact that he went to the legislature and had them change the resign to run law strictly so he could run for President, is a sign that his eyes are not on the State of Florida,” said Anders Croy, Communications Director for DeSantisWatch_.
Meanwhile, outside the Four Seasons in Miami, where DeSantis is expected to meet with supporters and donors over the next few days, news of the announcement attracted protestors.
Related Story: DeSantis gets endorsements from former Trump officials ahead of expected Presidential announcement
Bob Kunst camped in front of the hotel with a sign reading ‘Gays Against DeSantis’.
He said the sign once read ‘Gays 4 DeSantis’, but that changed after the Governor recently signed a law Kunst believes intentionally targets drag queens.
“You’re opening up the door now to go after the entire gay community. If that’s your policy coming from Tallahassee you’ve already lost and I’ll make sure of it,” Kunst said.
Miami resident Nicole, who declined to provide her last name, also said the Governor’s agenda when it comes to the LGBTQ community is her primary reason for opposing his Presidential run.
“The policies that he’s put forth to try and target these demographics can even harm the demographics that he’s in support of,” Nicole said.
Notably one topic that wasn’t addressed during DeSantis’ announcement was how he plans to outmaneuver his number one obstacle: Donald Trump.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
DeSantis has a lot of ground to make up, with polls showing him more than 30 points behind the former President.
