Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially announced his run for President in a Twitter Spaces event with CEO Elon Musk Wednesday evening.
The audio-only live event was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. After some technical difficulties, DeSantis began his conversation with Musk and moderator David Sacks.
The governor touched on topics such as immigration, border control and inflation. He also denounced criticisms of Florida's political climate, including issues with travel advisories and book bans in schools.
Minutes before the event began, DeSantis tweeted a campaign video with the caption "I'm running for president to lead out Great American Comeback."
I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 24, 2023
Prior to the Spaces conversation, DeSantis filed paperwork to run for President of the United States.
See the presidential filing:
Nearly 100 Florida lawmakers recently backed DeSantis as many expected him to announce his run. The dozens of lawmakers threw their support behind DeSantis the day after the state's two top legislative leaders said they backed him for the GOP presidential primary.
America is worth the fight... Every. Single. Time. pic.twitter.com/lWNQ3DIXgp
— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) May 23, 2023
DeSantis is currently seen by many as former President Donald Trump's biggest rival for the Republican nomination. However, he still trails the former president by more than 40 points in the latest Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll.
DeSantis becomes the 7th Republican to join the race.
He follows Tim Scott, who officially launched his candidacy this week. Other contenders include Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Larry Elder, and Trump.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has also hinted at a potential presidential run. Pence will sit down for a one-on-one interview with Scripps News Tuesday night, in which he is expected to discuss his political ambitions.
The winner of the Republican nomination will likely take on President Joe Biden in a general election. Two people, Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are running against Biden for the Democratic nomination.
