DeSantis declares White House bid in glitch-filled Twitter announcement
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00:00 Are you there? Can you hear us? I think you're both here.
00:02 I'm here.
00:02 It was a presidential campaign launch full of technical glitches.
00:07 On Wednesday, on a Twitter live event co-hosted and organized by Elon Musk,
00:11 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his bid for the 2024 race for the Oval Office.
00:17 The 44-year-old Republican, an outspoken cultural conservative,
00:20 initially announced his decision in a video posted on social media.
00:24 He then tried to discuss it further in a first-of-its-kind conversation with Twitter CEO
00:28 Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces, but due to the high volume of listeners, some 600,000 people,
00:34 the audio stream crashed repeatedly,
00:36 making it virtually impossible for most users to hear the announcement in real time.
00:40 All right, sorry about that. We've got so many people here that I think we are
00:44 kind of melting the servers.
00:48 However, despite his rocky start, DeSantis is considered by many as Donald Trump's
00:52 strongest rival for the Republican presidential ticket.
00:55 His announcement marks another level in his rise from little-known congressman
00:59 to two-time governor and leading conservative figure against abortion rights,
01:03 racial and gender issues.
01:04 We must end the culture of losing that has infected the Republican Party in recent years.
01:10 The tired dogmas of the past are inadequate for a vibrant future.
01:14 We must look forward, not backwards.
01:17 We need the courage to lead and we must have the strength to win.
01:21 The governor is set to face off against an already teeming pool of Republican candidates,
01:26 including former UN ambassador Nikki Haley,
01:28 biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former President Donald Trump, amongst others.
01:33 The ultimate Republican nominee is expected to face Democratic President
01:37 Joe Biden in the presidential election in November 2024.