The launch of Republican Ron DeSantis’ presidential race on Twitter was marred by technical glitches, at an event hosted by the social network’s executive director Elon Musk, and repeatedly interrupted by alleged “server issues.”
What was supposed to be Florida’s first campaign event, and one that hundreds of thousands of people would try to access, was constantly interrupted on Wednesday, when Twitter’s servers apparently couldn’t handle 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 comeback of the United States”.
“Our border is a disaster. Crime is rampant in our cities. The federal government is making it harder for families to survive,” the Republican emphasized in the video.
I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 24, 2023
The candidate stressed that his Florida government “chosen fact over fear, education over indoctrination, and law and order over disorder and unrest.”
The event with Musk would have been an opportunity for the governor to communicate his intentions live, but it began with delays and several transmission issues until the candidate was able to speak and announce his candidacy to the waiting public.
During the roughly hour-long conversation with Elon Musk and technology entrepreneur David Sacks, a donor to the DeSantis campaign, the now presidential candidate gave a pro-freedom and anti-progressive speech, already present in the campaign for re-election as governor, election won about six months ago.
“If they report me, I’ll do the job,” DeSantis said in the broadcast, which was attended by more than 300,000 people, in which he promised to reverse the immigration policies of the Joe Biden government, among others.
Also indirectly, the Republican did not skimp on his rival Donald Trump: “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.
As the candidate attempted to communicate, Twitter users turned to the social network to criticize the broadcast glitches, a situation that political opponents of DeSantis took advantage of.
“Technical issues. Awkward silences. Complete launch failure. And that’s just the candidate,” former US President Donald Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told NBC News.
Current US President Joe Biden’s Twitter account posted a “link” to his own fundraising page, writing, “This link works.”
This link works: https://t.co/9PzIJkseYI
Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 24, 2023
On the other hand, DeSantis’ team insisted that the technical issues show how many people are waiting to hear from Florida’s governor.
“Governor DeSantis broke the internet — that should say everything you need to know about the strength of the candidacy,” said a campaign official quoted by NBC News.
In addition, DeSantis’ campaign said it would raise one million dollars (930 thousand euros) in the first hour after the announcement.
At the end of the event, the Republican praised Twitter despite the problems: “This is a great platform,” he said.
DeSantis, age 44, is considered the strongest Republican rival to Donald Trump (age 76), who has already announced his candidacy to run against Biden in the election scheduled for late 2024.
The announcement of the White House nomination marks a new chapter in DeSantis’ rise from little-known congressman to two-term governor, while also standing out as a major figure in the country’s debates on race, gender, abortion and other controversial issues. .
DeSantis’ entry into the Republican race has been the subject of rumors for months and is considered one of the strongest candidates to try and achieve the party’s goals of defeating Biden and returning to occupy the White House.
Source: DN
