London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 07, 2025

Trump Rival Ron DeSantis To Launch White House Bid Today

Trump Rival Ron DeSantis To Launch White House Bid Today

DeSantis was to kick off his presidential bid during a live Twitter event with Elon Musk, the platform's mercurial owner, a source familiar with the plans told AFP.
Republican Ron DeSantis is to announce his hotly-anticipated challenge to Donald Trump for the party's 2024 White House nomination on Wednesday, touting his ultra-conservative record as governor of Florida as a blueprint for the nation.

DeSantis was to kick off his presidential bid during a live Twitter event with Elon Musk, the platform's mercurial owner, a source familiar with the plans told AFP.

"I will be interviewing Ron DeSantis and he has quite an announcement to make," Musk confirmed on Tuesday, promising the 6 pm (2200 GMT) event on Twitter spaces would be unscripted with "real time questions and answers."

"It's going to be live. Let it rip," Musk told a Wall Street Journal conference.

Long viewed as the most credible challenger to the twice-impeached Trump, DeSantis has used his platform as Florida's chief executive to burnish his conservative credentials, signing off on 80 new state laws this spring, many targeting "woke indoctrination" in schools and other public institutions.

They include a ban on the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, a block on funding for efforts to promote diversity and inclusion at public universities and one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.

But the 44-year-old's official launch comes with his ratings in decline despite a slate of right-wing legislative wins in his state.

Lauded as "DeFUTURE" by The New York Post after a landslide reelection last November, DeSantis has seen expectations for a barnstorming campaign sweeping him into the Oval Office lowered in recent months.

A number of policy missteps -- both domestic and on the international stage -- have prompted disquiet about his readiness to take on the former president Trump, with donors worried he may have peaked too soon.

He faces the daunting task of closing an enormous polling gap, with Trump posting leads close to 40 percentage points, despite being indicted on felony financial charges and being found liable for sexual abuse in a New York civil trial.

'Positive alternative'

But DeSantis goes into the campaign with a large cash advantage over his rivals in the pack chasing Trump -- a war chest of potentially more than $100 million -- and buoyed by strong turnout at a series of recent campaign events.

Never Back Down, a super PAC that has acted as the governor's de facto campaign arm before he announced, has a ground operation in most of the early nominating states and is making plans to expand.

Famously allergic to the mainstream media, DeSantis had been reaching out to the traditional national press and local reporters on campaign stops -- though he will be sidestepping the press by making his big announcement on social media with Musk.

Behind the scenes, the Trump and DeSantis camps have been jostling to secure political endorsements from state lawmakers while, at the national level, Florida's congressional delegation has broken heavily for Trump.

DeSantis has largely refrained from retaliating amid a near-daily barrage of attacks from Trump on his record, character and fitness for office, making clear that, for now at least, he would rather avoid a bitter fight with the former president's most ardent supporters.

DeSantis has also been criticized for lacking the personal touch that Trump's supporters say is one of the former president's biggest assets.

But the former naval officer and congressman has been redoubling his efforts more recently to stay behind after speaking engagements to press flesh, sign autographs and have his picture taken with supporters.

The father-of-three has also been sharing the spotlight with his wife, Casey DeSantis, deployed to take the edges off her husband's aloof, standoffish image by talking up his qualities as a family man.

DeSantis has spent months preparing the ground for his White House bid, criss-crossing the country to promote his memoir, "The Courage to be Free," and making multiple stops in states seen as influential in the Republican primary contest, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

"If we make 2024 a referendum on Joe Biden and his failures and we provide a positive alternative for the future of this country, Republicans will win across the board," DeSantis said during a visit this month to Sioux Center, Iowa.
Comments

Oh ya 2 year ago
Well with Trumps ego that will not allow him to admit he got suckered on the vaccine that now has been proven to be a biological weapon he should not ever be allowed to be in the WH again. The clot shot is killing and injuring millions and he has not said a word. The country is in trouble and it needs someone who will do more than pat himself on the back

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
×