Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is officially running for US president in 2024
He spoke at a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk, initially hit by technical issues
"I am running for President of the United States to lead our great American comeback," DeSantis says
Speaking of his plans, he says his approach to Covid-19 restrictions showed he likes to go "against the grain"
The 44-year-old is ex-president Donald Trump's chief rival for the Republican Party nomination
Ex-United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are other Republicans running
As the tech nightmare continues, the Twitter Spaces event appears to have prematurely ended.
No word yet on when or whether it will restart.
It is safe to say this is not the way Ron DeSantis wanted to launch his presidential run.
The line is completely quiet now as we assume the Twitter team is busily working to fix things on their end.
We just heard Musk say things were back working again, but it's once again radio silence.
Just before the launch of the Twitter Spaces room, Ron DeSantis published his campaign video on his account.
"I’m Ron DeSantis, and I'm running for president to lead our great American comeback."
These are the final words uttered by DeSantis in a short one-minute video posted minutes ago.
In the video, he echoed much of the common conservative rhetoric that has elevated him to the national stage.
He described a "disastrous" border, "crime infested" cities, and liberal "indoctrination" by the left as the prevailing perils against America, and has positioned himself as the cure.
Image source, Ron DeSantis TwitterRon DeSantis announces his bid for presidency
This is a bit of a mess.
The launch event is technically underway and Elon Musk begins by complimenting Ron DeSantis on his management of the pandemic as Florida governor.
But major connection issues are holding things up and cutting out the feed for minutes at a time.
Right now we're listening to what sounds like elevator music...
DeSantis's public announcement of his bid to run for president in 2024 has begun - well, kind of.
The feed just cut out for about twenty seconds.
But they're back now with Ron DeSantis, Elon Musk and David Sacks in the "room" as well as almost 300k listeners.
Sam Cabral
US reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesThe DeSantis launch event on Twitter Spaces will be moderated by tech entrepreneur David Sacks, a fan of DeSantis.
Sacks, 50, has a long-standing friendship with fellow South African Elon Musk, dating back to the 1990s when they were both members of the so-called "PayPal Mafia" - a group of former PayPal employees and investors who have since been involved with other tech companies.
A Stanford graduate, Sacks was the co-founder of the online payment company. He has since gone on to be heavily involved in several Silicon Valley ventures.
His influence has grown under Twitter's new leadership and he is considered part of Musk's "shadow crew" of friends and advisors, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Like his friend, Sacks has donated in the past to both Democrats and Republicans, but has recently shifted support toward the latter.
In 2021, he slammed Covid-19 mandates in California and hosted a fundraiser for Ron DeSantis in San Francisco.
Mike Wendling
US reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesWhile we await the DeSantis appearance on Twitter, Donald Trump has been busy on his own social network.
He’s fired off flurries of posts throughout the day taking aim at “Ron DeSanctimonious” – sometimes shortening the nickname to “DeSanctus”.
He shared a post from fringe political activist Laura Loomer accusing DeSantis of being a part of the “deep state”.
And in an apparently sarcastic message, Trump wrote: “Hopefully he will get the full experience of being attacked by the Marxists, Communists and Radical Left Lunatics of our Country, without which he will never know the kind of job he is doing.”
More interesting than his attacks on DeSantis – which are constant and more or less expected by now – is the contrast with how Trump talks about other candidates.
On Truth Social he has (again, perhaps sarcastically) encouraged Nikki Haley’s campaign. And earlier in the week he wished Tim Scott good luck, calling him “a big step up from Ron DeSanctimonious”.
Perhaps it’s personal – or perhaps he sees Ron DeSantis as a threat above all others.
Ron DeSantis will soon broadcast his 2024 presidential bid in a live conversation on Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk and David Sacks.
Earlier today, DeSantis officially filed the necessary paperwork confirming he will run for president.
Now, he will announce it to the world in his own words.
Stay with us.
James Clayton
North America technology reporter
The BBC's James Clayton interviewed Elon Musk last month
There aren’t many people who can say they’ve done a Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk.
I can say I happen to be one of them - when I interviewed him last month.
The interview felt pretty intense - Musk pushing back regularly.
He also wanted to involve Twitter users - so that they could ask him questions.
This Twitter Spaces is likely to be considerably more choreographed.
In host David Sacks and Elon Musk, DeSantis has supporters - this isn’t going to be a grilling.
They all share a hatred of “wokeness” and it’s likely we’ll hear a lot about that.
But Twitter Spaces can be unpredictable - as can Elon Musk.
It will be fascinating to see whether DeSantis gets it easy - or if Musk wants to shake things up a bit.
Kayla Epstein
US reporter
DeSantis's choice of venue for his campaign launch is extremely unusual. And risky.
Presidential hopefuls usually announce their campaign at an energetic rally with hundreds of cheering supporters. Often, they'll also make an accompanying announcement video that they can post on social media.
The idea is to project strength and enthusiasm for their campaign.
But when Ron DeSantis announces he's running for president tonight, nobody will be able to see him, so far as we've heard.
That's because he's chosen to use Twitter Spaces, an audio-only platform.
The unconventional venue could signal a campaign that's willing to embrace social media.
Twitter Spaces also allows DeSantis to take advantage of Elon Musk's evolving support for conservative politicians and ideas, and the audience he commands.
But it's also rather risky. For one thing, Twitter Spaces is primarily frequented by members of the Silicon Valley tech elite, journalists, and other people who spend a lot of time online.
The (statistically older) Republican primary voters who will make or break his chances in Iowa, New Hampshire, and other key states, not to mention the millions of conservatives who reside outside of coastal cities? Maybe not so much.
Not holding a launch rally right away also deprives DeSantis of imagery that could rival the shows of force that his rival to beat, Donald Trump, frequently displays at his rallies attended by thousands.
He's releasing a campaign video, but this won't matter an enormous amount several months from now when voters actually start heading to the polls.
Candidates win or lose based on a host of complex factors. The next few months will tell us if DeSantis's choice of campaign launch will be one of them.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe now have one clue as to what Ron DeSantis has been up to today.
The Florida governor has signed a bill into law, external in preparation for his White House bid.
The law overhauls how elections are run in the state, but also repeals a state clause requiring that a lawmaker must "resign to run" for national office.
The law now declares that officials in the Florida legislature can maintain their role in the state government while running for a role such as president of the US.
Republican State Senator Travis Hutson, who sponsored the bill, said the new law makes clear what the previous law kept ambiguous.
He said this change was made so there was no legal doubt about whether or not DeSantis can run for president.
The legislation also increases the amount of fines Florida can levy against outside voter registration groups for infractions like late-filed registration applications, among other election changes.
From Ron DeSantis joining Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces to officially launch his campaign for President of the United States.
Chelsea Bailey
US reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesWe aren't yet sure if DeSantis will try and take many of the policies he pushed for in Florida to a national level, but let's have a look at what he's done in the state.
If there’s one statement that summarises his tenure as governor it’s perhaps this: “We will never surrender to the woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die.”
Some of the governor's most vocal critics say the word has become a catch-all for anything that doesn’t reflect his conservative values.
He’s passed a series of laws that build on his signature legislation to restrict LGBT education in primary schools.
Some other new laws he introduced or signed:
An "anti-woke" campaign has won over supporters in Florida, but will he try to take it national?
Nomia Iqbal
Reporting from Miami, Florida
Image source, Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump introduces Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at a rally in 2019
An easy choice? Not for the people I stop and ask here in Miami, Florida.
Both Trump and DeSantis live in the state and are seen as the kings of Florida.
One woman Elizabeth, hesitantly says to me: “I like both but I don’t think DeSantis is ready for the presidency.”
Another man who rushes past me is even more cryptic when my question stops him in his tracks.
“I love DeSantis… as governor,” he says.
"Does that mean not as president?" I ask.
He repeats and smiles: “I love him… as governor.”
But one thing many Republican voters here are hesitant to have is any infighting.
They say whoever gets the Republican presidential nomination in the end will get their vote.
Their main goal is to get President Biden out of the White House.
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
Ron DeSantis will soon join Elon Musk on Twitter for a live interview about his presidential run at 18:00 eastern time (22:00 GMT).
In doing so, he bypasses traditional methods of kicking off a campaign, such as an in-person rally, a big TV interview or a slickly produced online video.
While he will eventually do all of these, opting for Twitter as his first choice makes a notable statement about the kind of campaign he will run - and the type of supporter he hopes to prioritise.
It could also be seen as a finger in the eye of his chief political rival, former US President Donald Trump - and a sign that the Florida governor will not cede the online battlefield to his 2024 rival.
Trump was forced off Twitter after the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol and started his own competing social media service, Truth Social.
Donald Trump fired off three scathing social media posts before it even hit 09:30 on the east coast of the US (13:30 BST) this morning, as news began to circulate that DeSantis would announce his intention to run today.
If the former president's harsh words tell us anything, they give us a glimpse of what's to come during the Republican battle for the nomination over the next year.
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer US President Donald Trump
Katty Kay
US special correspondent
The person to watch in the DeSantis campaign may not be Ron, but his wife Casey, who could someday be the country's First Lady.
She is thought to be more relaxed and personable on the stump than her husband, and she's clearly playing a big role in the campaign, sending out that pre-launch video on Twitter today, external.
During his tenure as governor of Florida, Casey spearheaded the DeSantis response to things from hurricane relief to mental health.
Ron hasn't even got through a single debate or primary, but in Trump's orbit they are already wondering if we could see a "Casey for President" campaign one day.
Chelsea Bailey
US reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesWalt Disney World in Orange County, Florida
You may have heard of Ron DeSantis because of his row with Disney. Yes, Disney.
Disney pulled the plug on nearly a billion dollars of investments in Florida last week.
The move was the latest in an escalating war with Governor Ron DeSantis.
It started when DeSantis signed a law in 2022 that prohibits classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Disney’s former CEO, Bob Chapek, criticised the law for discriminating against LGBT Americans.
Since then, DeSantis fought to remove Disney’s tax incentives in the state.
In February, he signed a bill that would effectively let the government take over the Disney district - a compound complete with its own power grid, water supply and fire protection.
But the company invoked a legal clause that would allow them to remain in control until “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England”.
DeSantis remains undeterred. He’s brushed off Disney’s lawsuit arguing the state is illegally retaliating because the company spoke out against his “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Nomia Iqbal
Reporting from Miami, Florida
We’re in a bit of a game of “Where’s Ron?”
We know the governor was here in Miami earlier today. He is said to have met up with high level donors in a nearby hotel.
We spotted a motorcade outside but it turned out the Boston Celtics are in town to play against the Miami Heat. (And we know Ron DeSantis is more of a baseball fan.)
There is a party planned for after his official announcement on Twitter later at a Miami hotel, but no word on if he will attend.
We don’t even know where he’ll be for the interview with Elon Musk this evening.
But with his upcoming public interviews and a big campaign rally next week, his strategy is clearly to keep the media's eyes on him for as long as possible.
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
At the end of last month, the Florida governor had $88m (£71m) in a fund, Friends of Ron DeSantis, that was raised for his Florida re-election campaign and can be transferred to his presidential bid.
He also reportedly has about $30m (£24m) controlled by an independent committee that his allies can use to support his campaign.
Donald Trump, by contrast, reported a combined $18.8m (£15m) in fundraising over the first three months of 2023, with $13m (£10m) in his main campaign account.
Read more: Can DeSantis really beat Trump?
Sam Cabral
US reporter
The path to the 2024 Republican nomination requires defeating one man: Donald Trump.
Despite the former president’s legal troubles, he leads in most national opinion polls.
Here’s who else is in the running for the Republicans: