CNN
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governor of florida ron desantis will share a virtual stage with Twitter owners on Wednesday night Elon Musk when he started his republican presidential primarythe governor’s spokesman told CNN.
The decision to make the announcement on Twitter Spaces, the site’s audio platform, came amid discussions with Musk, who has his own devoted fanbase, underscoring DeSantis’ desire to win the loyalty of right-wing influencers as part of a larger effort beyond the former president donald trump 2024 Republican nomination.
DeSantis is widely seen as Trump’s Most Powerful Junior Challengerbut his status slipped— in voting And about the relationship between donors — after a series of uncertain performances before his campaign launched. By announcing the news on Twitter, the 44-year-old Republican will seek to differentiate himself from other growing fields, most of which have entered in more traditional settings.
Choosing to debut as a presidential candidate on Twitter is also a clear pointer in the eyes of the former president.
before becoming Prohibited use of social media platforms 2021 — before Musk took over — Trump has used the site for years to lash out at his perceived enemies, sow discontent and fuel his growing MAGA movement.musk Recover former president’s account When he took over Twitter last year, Trump had moved to his own social media site, Truth Social. In his absence, DeSantis seemed intent on making his voice heard in Musk’s ear.
announcement event, which is First reported by NBC News, will take place at 6 p.m. ET and will be hosted by tech entrepreneur and Musk ally David Sachs. CNN has reached out to Musk for comment. The tech giant publicly confirmed the incident Tuesday at a Wall Street Journal event.
“I’m going to be interviewing Ron DeSantis, he has a big announcement to make. It’s going to be the first time something like this is happening on social media, with a live Q&A that’s unscripted,” Musk said, adding that he’s “currently “Not going to support a candidate.
Sachs is a major political donor and supporter of DeSantis. In 2021, he contributed more than $70,000 to the governor’s political committees.
Trump’s super PAC scoffed at DeSantis’ choice of location for the announcement, calling it “one of the most disembodied campaigns in modern history.”
“The only thing less relevant than a niche Twitter campaign was DeSantis’ after-party at Miami’s ultra-elite Four Seasons resort,” MAGA Inc. said in a statement Tuesday.
As CNN previously reported, the DeSantis team was plan an active schedule And the unconventional approach to a presidential campaign. The team is planning an unpredictable and relentless political blitz designed to quickly get him in front of tens of thousands of primary voters, destabilize the situation, and create conflict between him and his old opponents, Trump and Trump. The contrast between Trump’s campaigns. president biden – according to a person familiar with the planning.
desantis is Expected to submit paperwork A Republican familiar with the matter told CNN that he announced his candidacy for the FEC this week and plans to make it official next week in his Florida hometown of Dunedin.
This story and headline have been updated.