By Dasha Burns and Matt Dixon — NBC News
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will announce his candidacy to represent the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election on Wednesday during an event with billionaire Elon Musk, Twitter's chief executive, three sources familiar with the plans told NBC News.
Musk and DeSantis will host an event on Twitter Spaces, the platform for audio chats, on Wednesday at 7 p.m. It will be moderated by David Sacks, a tech entrepreneur close to Musk and a DeSantis supporter.
That same night, DeSantis' campaign will release a launch video, and the governor will begin visiting several of the first states to vote in the Republican primary after the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Ron DeSantis and Elon Musk.Getty Images; DPA / Picture Alliance
The relationship with Musk could be a major boost for DeSantis, as it would give him awareness and credibility with the tycoon's huge following, including his 140 million followers on Twitter. But it could prove a burden if DeSantis is distracted by the millionaire's numerous controversial comments.
The launch will tie Musk closely to one of the Republican Party's rising stars. Musk has been an admirer of DeSantis, who also regularly rebukes the corporate media. Last year, Musk said he would support the governor if he ran for president.
The announcement will coincide with a retreat for high-level fundraisers committed to supporting DeSantis in Miami. Fundraisers will gather at the Four Seasons hotel May 24-26, where they will receive information sessions from campaign staff, combined with fundraising time.
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DeSantis' team has been in talks with Musk for at least the past few weeks, according to a source familiar with the discussions. In those conversations, Musk has indicated that he does not believe former President Donald Trump can regain the White House.
"He's interested in the future, and he's interested in winning again," that source said.
It's unclear whether Musk will formally endorse DeSantis on Wednesday, but another source said that within DeSantis' team, his involvement is seen as a clear sign of support for the governor.
Musk, however, is nothing if not unpredictable: On Friday, he tweeted praise for an announcement by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., one of DeSantis' rivals for the nomination.
Even if Musk falls short of fully endorsing DeSantis, aligning with his presidential announcement puts him and his companies squarely tied to a candidate. Twitter, Facebook and others have launched polling places and voter registration activities, but have kept candidates at arm's length.
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And that someone of Musk's stature participates in DeSantis' presidential launch dents the inevitability and power of former President Donald Trump, who has already announced his candidacy for re-election and leads many polls so far.
DeSantis' relationship with Musk dates back to early 2021, when the two met at a dinner in Austin, Texas, with about 15 people including tech investors, developers and healthcare industry officials, according to a GOP fundraiser who was at the meeting.
The two also maintain a relationship through Sacks, a major Republican donor who has openly supported DeSantis and is considered part of Musk's inner circle.
Musk has built an intense entourage of followers after he bought Twitter on a promise to restore "free speech" following years of right-wing complaints that the site had tried to censor conservatives. One of his first measures was to reinstate the accounts of previous far-right Twitter users who had been suspended for spreading disinformation. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who remains one of the most popular figures in conservative media even after being fired by Fox News, is launching a new show on Twitter.
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That seems to be part of what makes partnering with Musk attractive to DeSantis. One of the sources familiar with the plans told NBC News that DeSantis' aides have been watching how Twitter has become an increasingly friendly space for conservative firebrands under Musk's leadership, allowing them to speak directly to their conservative audience and bypass traditional media outlets. something that was once Trump's superpower.
Trump was kicked off Twitter following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection of his supporters on Capitol Hill, and he still hasn't returned to the site even after Musk reinstated him last fall.
"I hope the campaign paints a positive vision for the country, and the entire rollout will highlight the future versus the past, success versus failure, winning versus losing, and action versus lip service. That's the framework of the race," said a source familiar with the plan.
The plan is not without risk. Musk's international power could serve to eclipse DeSantis, who, while a heavyweight in Republican political circles, is not as well known. And DeSantis may not want to have to answer for all of Musk's positions — potentially even individual tweets — such as his comments about progressive megadonor George Soros that have earned the ire of Jewish leaders.
A source familiar with the plans said DeSantis' team wasn't worried about being overshadowed, arguing that it's OK for the governor not to be the center of attention.
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But an additional risk for DeSantis is that while Musk has tons of muscle available to put behind DeSantis — and has fans in the former president's base — Trump has made a political career of portraying himself as an underdog fighting powerful forces within his party, on the Democratic side of the aisle. and in government and industry. Musk — and, by extension, DeSantis — could be portrayed as the latest business titan to line up against Trump's move.
In the coming weeks, Musk will step down as CEO of Twitter. It recently announced that it had hired Linda Yaccarino, NBCUniversal's former head of advertising sales, to take over as Twitter's next CEO. Musk said he would continue to oversee product design and new technologies, while Yaccarino would handle the business side.