The Glitch Heard Around the World: DeSantis' Twitter Campaign Launch
Well, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tried something new when it comes to announcing your presidential campaign, and it didn’t go so well. DeSantis appeared in a live Twitter Spaces event that also included controversial Twitter CEO Elon Musk, but thanks to numerous glitches and other issues, the announcement got off to a rough start and was less than inspiring.
As reported:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign got off to a rocky start Wednesday when his announcement event on Twitter was plagued by technical difficulties, which persisted for more than 20 minutes before the governor was able to deliver his speech and participate in a question-and-answer session. . . .
The 6 p.m. Twitter event with company CEO Elon Musk and moderator David Sacks was DeSantis’ first opportunity to publicly tout his campaign, and it did not start well.
Sacks attributed the problems to strong interest in the event, saying “we’ve got so many people here that we are kind of melting the servers, which is a good sign.”
Whatever the cause, the technical glitches marred what was supposed to be a triumphant moment for DeSantis as he debuted as a national candidate after years of buzz about his presidential potential.
It’s admirable to watch any political candidate, embrace new technology as part of his campaign launch. Sadly, the untested medium proved ill-prepared to host an event that would attract so many viewers – for various reasons. For DeSantis supporters, this was a bit cringeworthy. For his detractors, well, it was probably exactly what they wanted to see.
Even President Trump, seemingly the biggest obstacle in the Governor’s road to the White House, showed no hesitation when it came to bashing the DeSantis event, taking to his Truth Social platform to post a short but biting video of a rocket crashing and exploding to represent the DeSantis campaign launch. Trump also called the entire event a “disaster”:
Wow! The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER! His whole campaign will be a disaster. WATCH!
Even Trump campaign officials called it a “failure to launch”:
Trump’s campaign took advantage of the situation, claiming that the mishap showed that DeSantis was “clearly not ready for prime time.”
“Ron DeSantis’ botched campaign announcement is another example of why he is just not ready for the job,” Trump-aligned Make America Great Again Inc. spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a press release titled “Failure to Launch.”
“The stakes are too high, and the fight to save America is too critical to gamble on a first-timer who is clearly not ready for prime time. President Trump is the proven leader that will be ready on day one to turn the country around.”
Gov. DeSantis appeared on Fox News later in the evening and repeated much of the same campaign promises but without the glitches. But while the technology held up, DeSantis himself came off to some as robotic and not engaging enough to sway support from Trump. But the campaign trail is long, and there is much that remains to be seen. And we’re also seeing new candidates officially throwing their hats into the ring for consideration as the Republican nominee, including Senator Tim Scott, who just announced his own White House run this week. And President Trump was far more welcoming and complimentary toward Senator Scott entering the race, especially compared to DeSantis.
Today’s full Sekulow broadcast includes more analysis of Governor DeSantis’ chaotic announcement on Twitter Spaces last night and the reaction from the media and both sides of the political spectrum. We’re also joined by ACLJ Senior Counsel for Global Affairs Mike Pompeo to discuss our case against the Biden Administration for removing Nigeria from a critical watchlist for human rights abuses – the list Pompeo placed it on when he was Secretary of State under President Trump, despite the rapidly escalating death toll for Christians. We’re also joined by ACLJ Senior Advisor for National Security and Foreign Policy Ric Grenell.
Watch the full broadcast below: