In the end, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis chose.
Long considered Donald Trump's main rival for the Republican nomination, he will officially launch his candidacy for the White House tonight, during a Twitter conversation with the owner of the social Elon Musk, who is a supporter of him. Fox News reports that the Florida governor is expected to submit the documents to the federal election commission to coincide with the announcement.
The speech will be broadcast live on Twitter Spaces from 18 pm local time, when it will be midnight in Italy, and will be moderated by entrepreneur David Sacks.
There will also be a video intended to officially open the election campaign.
Ron DeSantis has long been a follower of Trump, whom the former president has often publicly praised and treated as a protégé: only to attack him with particular harshness when it became clear that he would become a dangerous political rival. In this path, DeSantis' positions have remained the same, far-right, especially on issues such as migration, LGBTQ rights and abortion.
As a demonstrative gesture, the governor even sent dozens of immigrants by plane to Martha's Vineyard, a small island in Massachusetts considered a symbol of New England's Democratic "radical chic." She signed and then expanded a bill — better known as the "Don't Say Gay" rule — banning discussing gender issues and LGBTQ issues in Florida public schools. The same limits were wanted for issues related to racism.
A Christian supporter of the fundamentalist Protestant lobby Family Research Council Action PAC, he signed a law banning abortions at six weeks, before most women realize they are pregnant. And it removed an elected prosecutor who had promised not to indict those who violate new restrictions on abortion or doctors who provide hormonal treatment for sex transition. However, for DeSantis the right to life stops when it comes to firearms, of whose free diffusion he is a convinced supporter.
The news of DeSantis' imminent announcement came as Donald Trump was attending a video link at the hearing where he was told of the trial date in which he must answer for 34 crimes: March 25, 2024. A date that made the former president turn up his nose, given that it coincides with a crucial phase of the primaries.
The former president's top supporters attacked the Florida governor's plan to announce his candidacy.
"This is one of the most unusual campaign launches in modern history. The only thing less recognizable than launching a niche Twitter campaign is DeSantis' afterparty at Miami's super-elite Four Seasons resort," said Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for Trump's super PAC.
Trump himself often dismisses his former dauphin and now rival as Ron "DeSanctimonious": in essence, "Ron the Hypocrite."