Elon Musk, one of the richest men in the world shows that he will count in this race Republican Ron DeSantis will announce his candidacy for the US presidential election of 2024 Wednesday during a live conversation on Twitter with Elon Musk, said Tuesday a source close to AFP.
This information was quickly confirmed by the boss of the social network. "I'm going to interview Ron DeSantis and he has one hell of an announcement to make," he said in an exchange with The Wall Street Journal. The hold between the two men is scheduled for Wednesday at 18 p.m. Washington time (22 GMT), and will be moderated by Republican businessman David Sacks.
The governor of Florida, 44, is seen as Donald Trump's main rival for the Republican nomination. This former naval officer was narrowly elected in 2018 to lead Florida, in the south-east of the United States, after receiving the support of Donald Trump, then in the White House.
He has since distanced himself from the billionaire and has gained popularity by multiplying ultra-conservative stunts on education or immigration - in the name of a battle against supposed "right-thinking". But Ron DeSantis' path to the White House is fraught with pitfalls.
His lack of charisma as the main flaw
The governor, in whom many conservatives had placed their hopes for the presidential election after his triumphant re-election in Florida in November 2022, is seriously behind Donald Trump – officially candidate since November 16, 2022 – according to many opinion polls.
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His main handicap? A lack of charisma, pointed out on all sides. Its ad format has also been strongly mocked in the entourage of Donald Trump. "Announcing his candidacy on Twitter is perfect for DeSantis. That way he doesn't need to interact with anyone," one of his advisers told AFP.
Surrounded by judicial investigations, Donald Trump continues to denounce a "witch hunt" – a rallying cry for his base, which remains largely loyal to him – and threw himself headlong into his second race for the White House. The former occupant of the White House boasts of having raised several million dollars after his historic indictment on April 4 by a New York court, which has been the subject of dizzying media attention.
"The New Guard"
In this face-to-face with Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis can however count on an imposing war chest of $ 110 million from which he intends to draw to try to catch up by flooding the country with advertising spots. In a recent video from his political action committee, a man puts a "DeSantis president" sticker to cover a "Trump 2016" on a car.
It is a summary of the message that the governor wants to convey to voters: facing the 76-year-old billionaire, Ron DeSantis claims to embody the new guard. The two men are the two favorites for the Republican nomination. The other declared Republican candidates - Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson - for the moment rarely exceed 5% of voting intentions.
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The battle promises to be bitter. The hostilities between the two men began long before the governor of Florida entered the arena, with acid statements and interposed meetings.
The candidate chosen by the Republican camp after primaries will face in November 2024 the one designated by the Democratic Party. President Joe Biden is running for re-election. Bestselling author Marianne Williamson and a nephew of "JFK," Robert Kennedy Jr., have also entered the race for the Democratic nomination, but their chances seem extremely slim.