Ron DeSantis is known for his anti-woke policies. © John Raoux/dpa
The governor of Florida is challenging Donald Trump in the battle for the US presidential nomination of the Republicans. DeSantis takes unusual paths.
Washington, D.C. -- The announcement had been long-awaited. At least since his triumphant re-election in the congressional midterm elections in November, he was considered the coming man of the Republicans. On Wednesday (24 May), Florida's conservative Governor Ron DeSantis will officially announce his bid for the 2024 US presidential election, openly challenging former President Donald Trump.
This in itself is not surprising. However, the way DeSantis entered the race is rather unusual. According to US media reports, the 44-year-old wants to announce his application on Twitter. In a conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk broadcast there, DeSantis wants to officially announce his plans. The talk is scheduled for 18:00 p.m. local time (midnight CEST) on Twitter Spaces, where audiences can follow live audio conversations.
DeSantis will announce candidacy in conversation with Musk on Twitter
Musk confirmed to the Wall Street Journal in an interview that he would question DeSantis. And he proudly added, "He has quite an announcement to make." The conversation will not follow a script, but will be spontaneous. "It will be the first time something like this has happened on social media and with questions and answers in real time, not prepared," the Twitter boss added.
At the same time, Musk emphasized that he does not currently support a particular candidate. On the other hand, he made it clear with a targeted remark that he would probably not like to see Trump in office. When asked who he prefers for the 2024 election, Musk said he and most people in the U.S. want someone in office who is "reasonably normal" - which can be understood as a spike against Donald Trump. In any case, the former president can hardly be assigned to this category.
DeSantis pursues an extreme right-wing policy in Florida
On the other hand, the policy that DeSantis pursues in Florida cannot be measured by normal standards either. The arch-conservative Republican is pursuing a staunchly right-wing course in Florida and presents himself as a fighter against a supposed "woke" ideology of the left. Some of the laws he has pushed are so extreme that a U.S. civil rights organization has now issued a travel warning for Florida. Meanwhile, an expert on fascism warns that DeSantis will "destroy our democracy."
Trump had already announced in November that he would enter the race for the presidential candidacy for the 2024 election. DeSantis has been governor of the southern US state of Florida since the beginning of 2019. Before the father of three made a career as a politician, he attended the elite universities Yale and Harvard, was in the Navy - and in Iraq in service. Prior to his election as governor, DeSantis served for several years as a member of the House of Representatives.
DeSantis clearly behind Trump in polls
After his re-election as governor, DeSantis was even ahead of Donald Trump in some polls, but is now clearly behind again. The gap to the right-wing populist is on average more than 30 percentage points. However, the official candidacy should give him new impetus.
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Republicans will choose their candidate for the November 2024 presidential election in primaries that begin early next year. In addition to Donald Trump, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, the African-American Senator Tim Scott and the former governor of the southern state of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, also want to compete in the intra-party primaries. Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence is also considering a candidacy. Now Ron DeSantis joins them. (cs/dpa/afp)