Ron DeSantis launched a multi-state campaign Tuesday to advance his 2024 presidential bid, which counts former President Donald Trump as his main Republican challenger.
Addressing nearly 500 people gathered at a suburban church in Des Moines, Iowa, Ron DeSantis introduced the campaign that will take place in three US states, with 12 stops scheduled over four days, ending this weekend in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
The appearance comes six days after a Twitter announcement of the White House candidacy, marred by technical problems, became the subject of public jokes by Donald Trump.
Trump also took issue with the Florida governor’s ability to personally engage with voters and focused criticism on DeSantis’ leadership as Florida governor during the pandemic.
The former president, on his own platform to communicate with supporters, said Florida was “the third worst state [norte-americano] in deaths from covid”.
“So why are people saying DeSantis did a good job? New York has had fewer deaths!” Donald Trump wrote.
In recent days, DeSantis has questioned Trump’s handling of the pandemic and his criminal justice record, calling it “a runaway bill” that Trump signed (in 2018) to reduce mandatory minimum federal prison sentences and provide a way for nonviolent offenders to reduce prison time
As a member of Congress, DeSantis voted in favor of an early version of the measure, but left Congress after being elected governor and before the final bill passed.
DeSantis also accused Trump of mistakenly “handing the country over to Fauci,” referring to Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who led the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
DeSantis’ presidential campaign was announced a week ago, on May 24, during an online conversation on Twitter with Elon Musk, owner of the social network, which was marred by technical problems that made it difficult to hear the announcement in real time.
“American decline is not inevitable, it is a choice,” DeSantis said during the faulty audio.
“And we must choose a new direction, a path that leads to American revitalization,” he said.
Source: TSF
