Image: Eva Marie Uzcategui (APA/AFP/EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI)
For his “big announcement”, the right-wing hardliner chose a conversation with Twitter boss Elon Musk broadcast on the Internet, but there were always sound problems at the beginning.
The governor of the southern state of Florida nevertheless got rid of his message: “I’m running for president to lead our great American comeback,” said the 44-year-old in a video published at the same time on his Twitter account.
DeSantis is considered Donald Trump’s biggest internal party competitor. He wants to be a Republican candidate for the White House, but to do so he has to defeat former President Trump and other candidates in his party in the primaries. Trump had already announced in November that he would enter the race for the 2024 presidential election.
“Disaster on Twitter”
DeSantis’ announcement was actually planned for 6 p.m. (local time) on Twitter – of all places on the platform that Trump once used so excessively. But the live conference (“Spaces”) moderated by Musk kept breaking off. It wasn’t until about 20 minutes later that the event restarted and DeSantis began to speak.
Even the conservative US broadcaster Fox News described DeSantis’ announcement, which had caused a lot of fuss, as a “disaster on Twitter”. And even US President Joe Biden couldn’t resist a little dig: At the time of the glitch, he published a link to the donation page for his own election campaign on his personal Twitter profile – and commented on it with the words: “This link works.”
Normally, presidential candidates choose a different format for their “big announcement”, give speeches to supporters or publish elaborately produced videos. An audio circuit on Twitter is unusual and should help one person in particular: Elon Musk. The tech billionaire, who has been spreading right-wing messages online for months, primarily acted as a keyword for the Republican’s messages.
“Our border is a disaster”
Like his opponent Trump, DeSantis accuses the government of US President Joe Biden of leading the country into decline. “Our border is a disaster. Crime has ravaged our cities. The government is making it difficult for families to make ends meet and the president is messing around,” says the governor in his bid video.
In Florida, however, it has been proven that a different America is possible. “We have chosen facts over fear, education over indoctrination, law and order over riot and disorder.” In the corona pandemic, “when freedom was at stake”, they were defended.
Like Trump, DeSantis belongs to the right wing of the party and shares similar hard-line positions. However, he is less known for scandals, loss of control and political chaos than for being disciplined, sorted and considered. For those in the party and at the grassroots who are fed up with Trump’s antics but want a candidate with Trumpian content, DeSantis is seen as a viable alternative.
Trump feels threatened by DeSantis
Years ago, Trump was a kind of mentor for DeSantis, but the 76-year-old ex-president now feels threatened by the much younger applicant. With sharp words, Trump shot his opponent again on Wednesday. “Instead of being grateful, DeSantis is now attacking the very man who saved his career,” said one of two videos Trump made at about the same time as DeSantis’ announcement on the online platform “Truth Social” he co-founded. published. There is only one person who can make America great again – and that is Donald Trump. During his time in the White House, he was already able to prove that.
DeSantis has been Governor of Florida since early 2019. In November 2022 he was confirmed in office with a clear result. This strengthened his position – and his striving for higher things.
In Florida, the Republican attracted attention primarily with his right-wing politics. Under him, laws were passed or introduced that discriminate against minorities, restrict academic freedom at universities and interfere with public education by banning teaching. He also agitated against demands for stricter gun laws and against state regulations on protection against infection during the corona pandemic.
Straight career
Father of three, DeSantis has had a straight career. He attended the elite universities of Yale and Harvard, served in the Navy and during the US military operation in Iraq. He was later elected as a member of the US Parliament, where he campaigned against stricter climate protection laws, among other things.
The Republicans select their candidates in an internal party primary. In polls among Republicans about the possible candidates, DeSantis is currently well behind Trump. According to the TV station NBC, the governor wants to start a tour of states that are particularly important for the primaries next week.
The presidential election is scheduled for November 5, 2024. A broad field of applicants is expected for the Republicans. In addition to Trump and DeSantis, former American UN ambassador Nikki Haley has made her ambitions official – but she is far behind in polls.
US President Joe Biden is running for re-election from the Democrats. As an incumbent, he is unlikely to face any serious competition from within the party in the election campaign.
Source: Nachrichten
