Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will proclaim his candidacy for president in 2024 during an online appearance with Twitter CEO Elon Musk.
At 18:00 local time (22:00 GMT), Mr. Musk is scheduled to conduct a Twitter Spaces conversation with Mr. DeSantis. The DeSantis campaign is anticipated to release an official campaign introduction video later that evening.
Mr. DeSantis, 44, is perceived as former president Donald Trump's chief rival for the nomination of the Republican Party. The governor joins a swelling list of candidates seeking to unseat Mr. Trump, who leads in national opinion polls by more than 30 points.
Republican voters cast ballots in a series of primaries beginning in February 2024 to determine who will oppose Democratic President Joe Biden in the general election in November 2024.
Twitter Spaces is a platform that enables "creators" to hold live audio conversations in which other Twitter users can participate. The event on Wednesday will be moderated by tech entrepreneur David Sacks, a close ally of Tesla's founder and Mr. DeSantis's supporter.
Mr. Musk retweeted on Tuesday a Fox News tweet about the impending Twitter Spaces "interview" to his 140 million followers. It wasn't immediately clear if the two planned to appear together in person or if Mr. Musk was demonstrating support for the Floridian's campaign by hosting the launch on his platform.
Mr. Musk stated previously at a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) event that this will be "the very first time" such an announcement is made on social media. He informed the audience that he had no intention of endorsing a candidate but would use Twitter as a public forum.
The tech magnate has previously expressed support for Mr. DeSantis in 2024, including writing on Twitter in November of last year that he favors a moderate and reasonable candidate. Mr. DeSantis's announcement will purportedly take place on the first day of a fundraising retreat in Miami, where his supporters will be briefed on his forthcoming campaign.
It will conclude months of speculation regarding Mr. DeSantis' official candidacy announcement. During his tenure as Florida's governor, the state enacted new restrictions on sex and gender identity education in public schools, as well as new restrictions on abortion.
In the coming months, he is anticipated to present himself as an accomplished politician with a lengthy list of conservative policy accomplishments and without the "daily drama" of Mr. Trump. Earlier this month, he stated that governance is not about "building a brand or talking on social media" in a thinly veiled criticism of the former president.
Mr. Trump is no longer an active Twitter user, despite the fact that his account was reinstated in November following its removal in the aftermath of the 6 January riots at the US Capitol. Mr. Trump instead utilizes his own platform, Truth Social, where he has frequently launched attacks against Mr. DeSantis.
Twitter has significantly more active users than Truth Social, providing the DeSantis campaign with the potential for increased exposure. It will also grant him access to Mr. Musk's extensive fan base.
