Ron DeSantis to announce presidential bid in Twitter Space with Elon Musk
Twitter Spaces #TwitterSpaces
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is set to announce he is running for president in a conversation with Twitter owner Elon Musk, NBC News reported Monday.
The announcement will take place during a Twitter Spaces event on Wednesday at 6PM ET and David Sacks, former PayPal product leader and tech investor, will reportedly moderate the discussion. Shortly after, the DeSantis campaign is expected to put out a formal campaign launch video before taking to the campaign trail after Memorial Day.
Lindsey Curnutte, a DeSenatis spokesperson, confirmed the event in an email to The Verge Tuesday. Twitter responded to a request for comment Tuesday with the company’s customary poop emoji auto-reply.
DeSantis’ planned announcement comes as his polling numbers against former President Donald Trump have faltered
DeSantis’ planned announcement comes as his polling numbers against former President Donald Trump have faltered. According to a recent Morning Consult poll, DeSantis is currently polling at 20 percent of GOP primary voters, nearly 15 percent lower than his December 2022 numbers.
Since taking over Twitter in November 2022, Musk has garnered significant support among Republicans who have spent the last few years accusing social media companies of wrongfully censoring conservative content and users. Throughout his presidency, Trump championed these criticisms and was ultimately banned from mainstream platforms, including Twitter, following the deadly January 6th riot at the US Capitol. Shortly after taking over the company, Musk restored Trump’s Twitter account after posting a poll asking his followers for input on the decision. “The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated,” Musk tweeted at the time.
Popular conservative commentators, like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have started moving their content to Twitter. On Tuesday, Axios reported that The Daily Wire was bringing all of its podcasts over to the platform by the end of this month.
According to NBC News, Musk has known DeSantis since the pair met at a party in Austin, Texas. Both are reportedly close with Sacks, the moderator for Wednesday’s Twitter event. It’s unclear whether Musk plans to endorse DeSantis, despite suggesting he would back the Florida governor last year. On Friday, Musk tweeted “great statement,” in response to recent GOP presidential contender Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) campaign announcement.
Updated May 23rd at 3:13 PM ET: A DeSantis spokesperson confirmed the event.