DeSantis set to announce 2024 run on Twitter with Elon Musk
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is planning to announce the start of his 2024 presidential campaign Wednesday in a live audio conversation on Twitter with Elon Musk, the platform’s polarizing owner, according to people with knowledge of his plans.
DeSantis’ entry into the Republican primary race against former President Donald Trump has been widely expected, but the decision to do so with Musk adds a surprising element and gives DeSantis access to a large audience online. NBC News first reported the plans.
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The event on Twitter Spaces is planned for 6 p.m. Eastern time. DeSantis is expected to later appear on Fox News in an interview with Trey Gowdy, a former member of Congress from South Carolina, according to the network.
Musk appeared to confirm the news Tuesday by retweeting a Fox News reporter who had shared news of the planned Twitter Space with DeSantis. The governor has also gathered donors Wednesday at the Four Seasons in Miami.
The conversation with Musk will be moderated by David Sacks, a Republican donor who is a DeSantis supporter and close to Musk.
Musk said he voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, but has since been critical of him and his administration, which has a frosty relationship with Tesla, his electric car company. The billionaire has said it is difficult for Biden to stay in touch with voters at the age of 80.
When asked about Biden in an interview on CNBC last week, Musk said he just wanted “a normal human being” to lead the country.
“It’s not simply a matter of, Do they share your beliefs?” he said. “But are they good at getting things done?”
While Musk has called himself a moderate who has voted for Democrats in the past, he has shifted his support in recent years toward the right. On Twitter he has engaged with and shared right-wing conspiracy theories, including one about the October attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Before the 2022 midterms, Musk called the Democratic Party one of “division &hate.”
