Ron DeSantis announces 2024 presidential bid, technical errors delay Twitter livestream

By Adam Rosen and Lisa Chasanov

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially filed paperwork to become a candidate in the presidential election and took to a Twitter livestream to make his announcement.

A projected frontrunner for the Republican Party presidential nomination in 2024, DeSantis has built his political following by promoting fiscal conservatism, anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ+ and pro-Second Amendment policies.

DeSantis began his political career in Florida as a staunch MAGA supporter, notably producing a controversial campaign advertisement that featured him teaching his children catchphrases associated with Donald Trump’s campaign for president. Despite his past support of the former president, DeSantis will now likely face off with Trump for a spot on the ballot in 2024.

After months of speculation regarding his potential bid for the presidency, it was announced that DeSantis would have a public conversation with Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, on a livestream Wednesday night.

The livestream event was set back by technical issues, beginning several minutes after the planned time and eventually shutting down within minutes.

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After the livestream was rebooted, the moderator, David Sacks, explained that the event was overloaded with viewers.

“We’ve got so many people here that we’re kind of melting the servers,” Sacks told the audience as the livestream cut out once again.

After this, the livestream started and shut down one more time.

After a little over 20 minutes, DeSantis’ voice was heard over the livestream.

“I will be taking the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States,” the 44-year-old Florida governor said.

The presidential primary elections will begin in February and the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee will take place in mid-July of 2024.

 

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