Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is expected to announce his 2024 presidential candidacy during a conversation with Elon Musk on Twitter Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, sources familiar with the plans confirmed to Breitbart News.
The source familiar confirmed Wednesday’s Fox News report detailing the governor’s plans to formally jump into the 2024 presidential race after months of speculation. DeSantis is also slated to officially file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, per the confirmed report.
The governor’s wife, Casey DeSantis, also teased the announcement, sharing the Fox News article with the caption, “Big if true…”
Big if true… 🙂https://t.co/Jrm528DPpA
— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) May 23, 2023
This forthcoming announcement follows months of speculation and the governor playing it coy, refusing to wholly reveal his political intentions after continued inquiries from various news outlets. Initial rumors indicated the governor would not consider announcing until after the Florida legislature’s legislative session, which ended May 5. In the following weeks, DeSantis signed a series of legislation addressing woke transgender ideology being pushed upon children, as well as bills combatting illegal immigration and eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in higher education.
Wednesday’s announcement will also come months after former President Donald Trump began a consistent series of preemptive strikes on the governor, which DeSantis has refused to fully address, often failing to speak of the former president by name despite their once-amicable relationship. Trump has since awarded him the nickname Ron “DeSanctimonious” and has deemed the governor “unelectable” and a “liddle’” lightweight.
Trump, notably, announced his presidential campaign in November in front of a packed audience at his Mar-a-Lago home. Months later, the pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. filed an ethics complaint against DeSantis, accusing the governor of engaging in “illegal conduct” by running what it described as a “shadow presidential campaign.”
“Announcing on Twitter is perfect for Ron DeSantis,” a Trump adviser told Breitbart News. “This way he doesn’t have to interact with people and the media can’t ask him any questions.”
The announcement comes on the heels of DeSantis traveling to various areas of the country, promoting what he has dubbed the “Florida Blueprint,” visiting early primary New Hampshire twice already.
The latest Morning Consult poll showed Trump leading the 2024 GOP primary by 38 points, but DeSantis has dismissed it.
“I’m not a candidate, so we’ll see if and when that changes,” DeSantis said when asked about Trump’s dominance last month.
