Casey DeSantis gives cheeky response to reports husband is launching 2024 campaign
Trump adviser says Twitter announcement means DeSantis ‘doesn’t have to interact with people and the media can’t ask him any questions’
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Casey DeSantis, the wife of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, posted a cheeky response to reports of her husband’s imminent 2024 campaign launch.
Mr DeSantis is reportedly set to announce his campaign on Wednesday on Twitter along with platform owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
On Tuesday, the first lady of the Sunshine State shared a Fox News article reporting on the announcement, tweeting: “Big if true...” with a smiling face emoji.
A few hours later, Ms DeSantis destroyed any remaining uncertainty when she kickstarted her husband’s campaign for him with a launch video.
In the 30-second clip, Mr DeSantis appears to walk on stage and stand before a large American flag, while dramatic music plays in the background.
He doesn’t speak in the clip, but a voiceover – with a British accent – speaks of America being “worth the fight”.
“They call it faith because, in the face of darkness, you can see that brighter future. A faith that our best days lay ahead of us,” the narrator sats.
“But is it worth the fight? Do I have the courage? Is it worth the sacrifice? America has been worth it every single time.”
The video ends with a call for viewers to text “Launch” to a number.
Ms DeSantis captioned the video: “America is worth the fight… Every. Single. Time.”
Mr DeSantis has been widely expected to join the race for months, travelling to unofficially campaign in the early primary states.
The governor is set to make the announcement at 6pm ET on Wednesday in the Twitter event with Musk – moderated by controversial entrepreneur David Sacks.
He’s also expected to file the required documents with the Federal Election Commission. He’s then set to appear on Fox News at 8pm.
Mr DeSantis is expected to be the main rival of the favourite to win the GOP nomination – former President Donald Trump.
An adviser for Mr Trump told Fox News that “announcing on Twitter is perfect for Ron DeSantis” because “this way he doesn’t have to interact with people and the media can’t ask him any questions”.
One of Mr DeSantis’ main weaknesses compared to the former president, who’s more than 30 years his senior, is thought to be his lack of charisma and ability to personally connect with voters.
The announcement comes as Mr DeSantis met this week with donors in Miami.
The Twitter Spaces event on Wednesday will be moderated by tech entrepreneur David Sacks, a supporter of the governor and an adviser to Mr Musk, according to NBC News.
The campaign will then reportedly release a video, and he’s set to start campaigning after the Memorial Day weekend.
Twitter users reacted to the news of the announcement with John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, writing: “Trump had Murdoch. DeSantis has Musk. Once more, a rich media owner will try to sway an American election.”
“DeSantis ensured that Florida laws got changed so he didn’t need to resign while running for President. Writing is on the wall: he’ll maximally use the power of his office for his personal political interests, not Floridians,” he added.
New York Times opinion columnist Jamelle Bouie wrote that the announcement alongside Mr Musk “is what happens when your press team and political advisors are hyper-online maniacs”.
“I cannot believe how dumb this is. You’re the governor of Florida! Announce your campaign on a sunny beach with tanned, smiling people!” he added. “DeSantis has to overcome the growing perception that he is an off-putting weirdo and what is he doing instead? Making the biggest announcement of his political career with a noted off-putting weirdo.”
Commenting on the Twitter event, former George W Bush speechwriter David Frum wrote: “I suppose the goal is to make it difficult to compare ratings with Trump’s CNN event, for fear the comparison might prove embarrassing.”
“Scheduling the event for 3 in the afternoon California time is another way to build an advance excuse for low listenership,” he added.
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