Months of speculation and questions of “Will he or won’t he?” came to an end on Wednesday evening as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) made it official that he is indeed running for president in 2024.
I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 24, 2023
DeSantis made his announcement on Twitter, appearing in a live Twitter Space with CEO Elon Musk. The announcement was initially riddled with technical errors because the number of listeners crashed Twitter’s servers multiple times. That may sound like a major problem, but it reflects the interest in a DeSantis candidacy.
Twitter ended the Space after about 20 minutes without a substantive announcement, but the stats showed that 387,000 people tried to tune in. A new Space opened up shortly after that, and host David Sacks said, “I think we melted the internet.”
“I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback,” the governor began. He highlighted some of the issues that are plaguing our country under Biden’s leadership: the border crisis, crime, the economy, and woke cultural domination, among other issues.
“We must return normalcy to our communities,” he added.
DeSantis promised to “reestablish integrity in our institutions.” He mentioned bringing the U.S. military back to its mission of defending the country, citing his military service.
Related: BREAKING: DeSantis Campaign Announcement Crashes Twitter
In the Twitter Space, DeSantis highlighted his record in governing Florida. “We chose facts over fear, education over indoctrination, law and order over rioting and disorder,” he said. “We held the line when freedom hung in the balance, and we’re thriving as a result. Florida is the nation’s fastest-growing state. We’re number one in net in-migration, number one in new business formations, and recently ranked number one in education. We have a 50-year low crime rate and one of the lowest tax and debt per capita in America.”
He also noted that governance isn’t about being flashy. “But we also understand governing is not entertainment,” DeSantis declared. “It’s not about building a brand or virtue signaling; it is about delivering results. And our results in Florida have been second to none.”
“We can and we must deliver big results for America,” he concluded.
DeSantis took on President Biden, citing his treatment of the border, his caving to the woke mob, his politicization of the military, and his “embrace of medical authoritarianism.” He also took on the Republican Party’s “culture of losing” along with the “tired dogmas of the past [that] are inadequate for a vibrant future.”
The governor concluded with a stirring promise to everyone listening:
We must look forward, not backward. We need the courage to lead, and we must have the strength to win, and to voters who are participating in this primary process, my pledge to you is this: If you nominate me, you can set your clock to Jan. 20, 2025, at high noon. Because on the west side of the U.S. Capitol, I will be taking the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States. No excuses. I will get the job done.
DeSantis has a reputation as a cultural warrior, thanks to his prolonged battle with Disney over its woke stand against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, but he also has a track record of strong conservative leadership.
Under his guidance, Florida was one of the first states to reopen after the initial COVID-19 lockdowns, and that bold decision has proven to be the right one for the Sunshine State. DeSantis’ leadership has proven popular enough that, after winning a close election for his first term, Floridians reelected him by an impressive margin. He also managed to increase the number of registered Republicans in his state to unprecedented numbers.
As the months of speculation have gone by, many conservatives have considered DeSantis as a viable alternative to Donald Trump. DeSantis doesn’t shy away from the tough fights and difficult issues, but he doesn’t have the political and personal baggage that makes people wary of Trump.
“Governor DeSantis is the most consequential conservative leader in generations,” Press Secretary Bryan Griffin told PJ Media. “His list of accomplishments in Florida is unprecedented, and it has created a hunger among the public for the same successful conservative leadership and energy across the nation. There are talkers, and there are doers. Governor DeSantis is a doer.”
After months of other candidates jumping into the fray — including former president Trump — it finally feels like the 2024 campaign is underway. Pop some popcorn; it’s about to get even more fun.
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