The launch of Republican Ron DeSantis’ presidential run on Twitter was marred by technical glitches, at an event hosted by the social network’s chief executive, Elon Musk, and repeatedly interrupted by alleged “server issues.”
What would be the first campaign event for the governor of the US state of Florida, and which hundreds of thousands of people would be trying to access, was constantly interrupted on Wednesday, when Twitter’s servers apparently couldn’t keep up with the increased traffic.
“The servers are a bit overloaded,” Elon Musk was heard saying in the live audio stream on the platform.
Minutes earlier, DeSantis had posted a video announcing that he was running for the White House “to lead the return” of the United States.
“Our border is a mess. Crime infests our cities. The federal government makes it harder for families to survive,” the Republican said in the video.
The candidate noted that, in Florida, his government opted for “facts over fear, education over indoctrination, and law and order over disorder and turmoil.”
The event with Musk would have been an opportunity for the governor to communicate his intentions live, but it began with delays and various transmission problems until the candidate was able to speak and announce his candidacy to the waiting public.
During the nearly hour-long conversation with Elon Musk and technology entrepreneur David Sacks, a donor to DeSantis’s campaign, the now presidential candidate maintained a pro-freedom and anti-progressive discourse, already present in the campaign for re-election as governor. he won the elections about six months ago.
“If they tell me, I will do the job,” DeSantis said in the broadcast accompanied by more than 300,000 people and in which he promised to reverse the immigration policies of the Joe Biden government, among others.
The Republican also spared no hints against his rival Donald Trump: “The government is not entertainment, it is not about building a brand or pointing out virtues.”
Despite never mentioning Trump by name, DeSantis said he was ready to fight.
While the candidate tried to communicate, Twitter users took to the social network to criticize the failures in the transmission, a situation that was taken advantage of by political opponents of DeSantis.
“Technical issues. Awkward silences. Total failure to launch. And that’s just the candidate,” Steven Cheung, a spokesman for former US President Donald Trump’s campaign, told NBC News.
Current US President Joe Biden’s Twitter account posted a “link” to his own fundraising page, writing: “This link works.”
On the other hand, DeSantis’ team insisted that the technical problems show the number of people waiting for news from the Florida governor.
“Governor DeSantis broke the internet; that should tell you everything you need to know about the strength of the candidacy,” a campaign official was quoted as saying by NBC News.
In addition, the DeSantis campaign said it raised one million dollars (930 thousand euros) in the first hour after the announcement.
At the end of the act, and despite the problems, the Republican praised Twitter: “This is a great platform,” he said.
DeSantis, 44, is considered the strongest Republican rival to Donald Trump (76 years old), who already announced Biden’s candidacy in the elections scheduled for the end of 2024.
The announcement of the White House candidacy marks a new chapter in DeSantis’ rise from little-known congressman to two-term governor, while emerging as a major figure in the nation’s debates on race, gender, abortion and more. controversial issues. . .
DeSantis’s entry into the Republican race has been the subject of rumors for months, being considered one of the strongest candidates to try to achieve the party’s objectives: defeat Biden and reoccupy the White House.
Source: TSF
