Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a political roundtable, Friday, May 19, 2023, in Bedford, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) Robert F. Bukaty/AP

DeSantis faces GOP pushback for 2024 presidential campaign launch

Eden Villalovas May 25, 10:55 AMMay 25, 10:56 AM Video Embed

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announced his highly anticipated bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday evening in a glitch-ridden campaign launch.

After his Federal Election Commission filing on Wednesday, DeSantis joined Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces, declaring himself a GOP candidate. The audio-only livestream experienced several technical difficulties throughout the event.

BIDEN AND REPUBLICANS BLAME EACH OTHER FOR DEFAULT THEY INSIST WON’T HAPPEN

The packed Republican primary also includes former President Donald Trump, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — many of whom, along with other GOP names, have commented on the Florida governor’s rocky start.

Trump targeted the Florida governor, who he once endorsed, with a series of short videos and images on his Truth Social and Instagram pages.

Trump has been critical of DeSantis several times, stating he has “no personality” and lacks “a lot of political skill” in an interview with the Messenger.

Haley and her team were quick to respond with a series of tweets on Wednesday evening, boosting her in-person campaign in New Hampshire. Prior to DeSantis’s announcement, Haley released a campaign ad accusing him of copying Trump.

“America deserves a choice, not an echo,” Haley’s ad states, showing side-by-side clips of Trump and DeSantis making similar gestures and hand movements.

Ramaswamy welcomed DeSantis to the race but raised questions about David Sacks, the Twitter Spaces moderator, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, a friend of Elon Musk, and a donor to DeSantis.

“Interested to know whether @RonDeSantis would’ve supported the bailout of Silicon Valley Bank depositors,” Ramaswamy tweeted. “Since his megadonor @DavidSacks was the most vocal supporter of that bailout & he’s moderating the Twitter Spaces with Ron tonight, he should ask. A legitimate policy question for a Presidential candidate.”

Former New Hampshire GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Horn said DeSantis “may have hit his peak already” on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, adding, “Last night did not help him in any manner.”

Horn said it may be possible that in a few months, “the internet broke Ron DeSantis,” playing on the message DeSantis’s campaign pushed after the launch, claiming in a video that DeSantis “broke the internet.”

Still, some Republicans are showing consideration for DeSantis’s 2024 bid.

“It wasn’t perfect, and I know Ron is probably disappointed that he didn’t get more of his message out yesterday,” Hutchinson said on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Thursday morning. “But it’s the very beginning parts of a campaign, and it’s gonna be a long slog for all of us, and so you pick up, and you move on.”

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Hutchinson said the beginning of the 2024 GOP election is an “exciting” time and welcomed DeSantis to the race.

While DeSantis was reelected easily last year, beating his Democratic challenger by nearly 20 percentage points, he will face a tough battle in the 2024 Republican race.

© 2023 Washington Examiner

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