Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced on Twitter’s audio platform that he is entering the Republican presidential primary, setting up a clash with the current GOP frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, CNN reports.
“I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback,” he said during an event with Twitter owner Elon Musk and tech investor David Sacks. “But we know our country’s going in the wrong direction. We see it with our own eyes. And we feel it in our bones.”
With those remarks, DeSantis, who won reelection in resounding fashion last fall and captured the attention of a party longing to turn the page from recent defeats, opened up a new chapter in the campaign to take on President Joe Biden in 2024. DeSantis stepped into the Republican primary later than other contenders, but begins his bid with more campaign cash and support in the polls than anyone except for Trump.
DeSantis, in his opening address to listeners, painted a dark picture of a country he said is going in the wrong direction under Biden and urged Republicans to get behind him.
