Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will kick off his much-anticipated 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday during a Twitter conversation with Elon Musk, according to media reports.
DeSantis and Musk will appear on Twitter Spaces, which features audio chats, at 3 p.m., according to NBC News, which first reported the plan. The event will be hosted by tech entrepreneur David Sacks.
The plan underlines the importance of Twitter in political campaigns despite the turmoil at the San Francisco social network after it was acquired by Musk last year.
It also highlights the role Musk has played recently in the battle for the presidency.
Musk lifted the ban on Donald Trump, who was kicked off Twitter in 2021 following the Jan. 6 riots he helped instigate. But Trump has yet to return to Twitter, preferring to stick to TruthSocial, the social network he helped launch.
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Trump and Musk have also had a rocky relationship. Trump recently attacked Musk for saying he voted for President Joe Biden, suggesting the billionaire’s statement was a ploy to “make friends with the absolutely horrible Biden Administration because of all the government subsidies he gets and all the permits he needs.”
Musk has also expressed support for DeSantis, saying in a July 2022 tweet, “If DeSantis runs against Biden in 2024, then DeSantis will easily win — he doesn’t even need to campaign.”
Having DeSantis unveil his campaign on Twitter will undoubtedly be a big boost for the social network.
Twitter’s value had fallen sharply amid concerns of advertisers and investors that it’s been hurt by the sudden departures of key talent and that the site has seen a spike in hate speech and disinformation since Musk took over.
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