Ron DeSantis news — live: DeSantis suffers another tech glitch in 2024 campaign after Jan 6 pardon comments

Ron DeSantis suffered yet another technical glitch as he continued to plough ahead with his 2024 campaign run following Wednesday’s disastrous Twitter Spaces launch.

The Florida governor appeared on Newsmax on Thursday night to speak about his priorities as he hopes to get the Republican vote for the presidential race.

But, during his appearance – and in the midst of an attack on the NAACP’s travel advisory – the show suffered a technical problem, with the screen freezing.

This marks the second time in two nights that Mr DeSantis’ campaign launch has been plagued by tech issues after his hotly-anticipated launch fell flat on Wednesday night.

The Florida governor, 44, chose to announce his presidential run in an unconventional way – in a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk and David Sacks. But, the event got off to a rocky start when it crashed several times and the sound repeatedly dropped out.

Since then, he has been going on the rounds of rightwing media, taking aim at his main GOP rival Donald Trump.

In one interview he said, if elected president, he would consider pardons for those charged with January 6 offences, including Mr Trump.

Key Points

• Ron DeSantis’ 2024 campaign suffers yet another technical glitch

• Biden mocks chaotic DeSantis 2024 launch amid Twitter tech issues: ‘This link works’

• MSNBC host calls DeSantis Twitter Space ‘ASTOUNDINGLY HUMILIATING degree of incompetence'

• After tech issues subside, DeSantis mocked for ‘annoying voice’

• Fox news calls DeSantis announcement on Twitter ‘a disaster’ as Trump joins in mockery

• AOC mocks amount of listeners to DeSantis Twitter Spaces event

Florida government employees soliciting for DeSantis donations, report says

20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida lobbyists who work with the Sunshine State government have been left aghast by demands that they donate to Governor Ron DeSantis’ newly launched presidential campaign, according to a report from NBC News.

Andrew Feinberg has the details.

DeSantis administration aides are hitting up Florida lobbyists for campaign cash

DeSantis signs Florida bill limiting liability of spaceflight companies to passengers and crew

19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Per NBC News:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed into law a spaceflight bill that protects companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin from legal liability if crewmembers or passengers are injured or killed during missions.

The Spaceflight Entity Liability bill, or CS/SB 1318, was one of 27 bills he signed a day after launching his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination during an event on Twitter with its owner, Elon Musk, who is also the CEO of SpaceX.

The new law effectively shields SpaceX and other commercial space companies from lawsuits in the event that anyone on their rockets or capsules are seriously hurt or killed.

The bill now requires crewmembers and passengers to acknowledge the risks of spaceflight by signing a waiver that contains the following statement: “WARNING: Under Florida law, there is no liability for an injury to or death of a participant or crew in a spaceflight activity provided by a spaceflight entity if such injury or death results from the spaceflight activity.”

Disney opposes DeSantis request to disqualify judge in free speech lawsuit

19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Disney is opposing a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis to disqualify a judge overseeing the company’s First Amendment lawsuit against the Florida governor and others in which Disney says it was punished for speaking out against Florida legislation that critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.”

Disney said in court papers filed Thursday that the request by attorneys for DeSantis, who declared his candidacy for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination earlier this week, didn’t come close to meeting the standards set out in Florida law for requiring a judge to be disqualified.

Read more...

Disney opposes DeSantis request to disqualify judge in free speech lawsuit

Forbes CEO doesn’t think 2024 GOP nominee will face Biden

18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Steve Forbes the chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media told Jacqui Heinrich on Fox News this morning that he doesn’t think Joe Biden will be the Democratic Party nominee in 2024 based on new polls about the economy.

Asked whom he thought could step in, Mr Forbes said he thinks there could be a replay of 2020 and fearing a takeover by Bernie Sanders as the nominee, Democrats might instead look to California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, or Vice President Kamala Harris instead.

Watch:

Shaky DeSantis 2024 campaign launch suffers another technical glitch

18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

On day two of the much-anticipated Ron DeSantis 2024 run for the White House, the Florida governor suffered another technical glitch, this time mid-interview.

Mr DeSantis spent the first full day of his campaign on a tour of rightwing media outlets, appearing on Eric Bolling’s Newsmax show The Balance on Thursday afternoon.

Find out what happened...

Ron DeSantis’ 2024 run suffers yet another technical glitch

ICYMI: ‘He’s admitting he’s a swamp creature?’

17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Why a simple image of a Floridian reptile caused a stir ahead of the DeSantis campaign launch.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

DeSantis 2024 campaign logo mocked: ‘So he’s admitting he’s a swamp creature?’

DeSantis says Trump is ‘different guy today than he was running in 2015 and 2016'

17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

What do the polls say about DeSantis?

17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia takes a look at the numbers.

DeSantis for President? This is what the polls say

Can DeSantis beat Trump? Doubts prevail in home state

16:30 , Oliver O'Connell

He’s a ubiquitous presence in conservative media with a reputation as an anti-woke warrior who has used a compliant state legislature to make Florida a mecca for Trump-era Republicanism.

But if Ron DeSantis wants to be president, he has to defeat Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and prominent Florida politicians aren’t so sure either of those things will ever happen.

Andrew Feinberg and Eric Garcia report.

Can Ron DeSantis beat Donald Trump? These Florida political veterans aren’t so sure

Key takeaways from Ron DeSantis’ campaign rollout

16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

After a 30-minute delay caused by technological glitches with Twitter’s “Spaces” audio conversation system, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ much-hyped announcement of his 2024 presidential campaign kicked off with a billionaire praising another billionaire.

The first billionaire, venture capitalist and DeSantis booster David Sacks, opened the conversation with fulsome praise for Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX impresario who bought Twitter last year with the aim of allowing unfettered conversations by all sorts of right-wing characters who’d been banned for violating the site’s rules under its prior management.

Mr Sacks then turned to introduce Mr DeSantis, who he said first drew his attention when the Florida governor began attacking public health measures recommended by medical professionals at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

And with that, Mr DeSantis began making his pitch to voters — or at least the voters who are on Twitter and cared enough to listen.

Andrew Feinberg summarises the key takeaways.

Key takeaways from Ron DeSantis’ campaign rollout

Voices: His 2024 launch was laughable but DeSantis could be more dangerous than Trump

15:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Ahmed Baba writes:

This kind of government overreach is antithetical to the stated limited government ideals of conservatism. It fully embraces the authoritarian impulses that have consumed the modern Republican Party. DeSantis embodies what it looks like when Trumpism has a supermajority with no guardrails, and showcases that Trumpism without Trump could be even more dangerous.

Read on...

His 2024 launch was laughable but DeSantis could be more dangerous than Trump

Watch live: Ron DeSantis speaks at Florida Homeschooling Convention

15:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Liz Cheney has some thoughts about DeSantis’s pardon plan

15:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Rep Liz Cheney, one of the two Republicans who participated in the House January 6 Committee, has some thoughts on Ron DeSantis’s promise to look at pardoning some of those responsible for the January 6 Capitol riot.

She bluntly and succinctly tweeted: “Any candidate who says they will pardon Jan. 6 defendants is not qualified to be President.”

Watch: DeSantis kicks off first public appearance by railing against Dr Fauci

14:39 , Oliver O'Connell

After stumbling at the launch, what’s next for DeSantis?

14:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday sought to push past an embarrassing beginning to his presidential campaign, outlining an aggressive travel schedule as his allies insisted they remain well funded and well positioned for a long Republican primary fight ahead.

While DeSantis supporters privately acknowledged the bungled announcement was an unwelcome distraction, there was a broad sense — even among some Republican critics — that it would likely have limited long-term political consequences, if any at all.

“Do they wish they could do it over again? Probably,” said David Oman, who managed two top-tier presidential campaigns in Iowa. “Will we be talking about it in 10 days? Probably not.”

Read more...

DeSantis pushes past embarrassing campaign start, outlines travel schedule for early state visits

Why is DeSantis at war with Disney?

13:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward explains how the year-long feud between the governor and Disney has boiled over...

DeSantis v Disney: Why Florida’s governor is at war with the Mouse

AOC jokes more people watched her gaming online than DeSantis

13:15 , Oliver O'Connell

New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign launch by noting that more people watched her gaming online than listened to the 44-year-old begin to make his case to the voters.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

AOC jokes more people watched her gaming online than listened to DeSantis launch

DeSantis says he will consider Jan 6 pardon for Trump

12:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday said he would “aggressively” use presidential pardons to free people who’ve been charged or convicted of crimes – including former President Donald Trump.

Speaking during an interview with hosts Buck Sexton and Clay Travis, Mr DeSantis claimed that the Department of Justice has been “weaponised” under the Biden Administration.

He cited a laundry list of GOP grievances about federal law enforcement targeting conservative activists and other GOP figures who have allegedly violated federal laws.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Ron DeSantis says he will consider pardon for Trump if elected

DeSantis launch highlights Twitter’s rightward shift

12:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Two years ago, signing a bill intended to punish Twitter and other major social media companies, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted the platforms as “suppressing ideas” during the COVID-19 pandemic and silencing conservative voices.

What a turnaround.

The new Elon Musk-owned version of Twitter helped DeSantis launch his bid for the Republican presidential nomination Wednesday.

Read more...

Twitter's launch of DeSantis' presidential bid underscores platform's rightward shift under Musk

Trump’s inner circle furious as Fox News host appears to back DeSantis

11:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Members of Donald Trump’s inner circle called out Fox News host Mark Levin on Twitter for tweeting the link to Ron DeSantis’ campaign and accused the conservative commentator of fundraising for the Florida governor.

On Wednesday (24 May) evening, Levin tweeted the link hours after Mr DeSantis announced he would be joining the race for 2024 president.

Immediately, several Trump allies and supporters began criticising Levin for tweeting the link, believing it was an endorsement of Mr DeSantis.

Ariana Baio reports.

Trump’s inner circle furious as Fox News host seemingly backs Ron DeSantis

Parkland father fires back at Ron DeSantis’ claims about gun violence

11:15 , Rachel Sharp

Civil rights groups are sounding the alarm on DeSantis’s ‘hostile’ agenda

11:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports on how three of the largest civil rights groups in the country issued Florida travel advisories in an effort to draw attention to the presidential candidate’s far-right campaign.

Boycott Florida? Warnings from civil rights groups on ‘hostile’ DeSantis agenda

DeSantis call climate change ‘politicisation of weather’

10:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis began a whirlwind media tour around the launch of his 2024 presidential campaign with an interview on Fox News on Wednesday evening when the governor outlined his misconceptions about climate change.

Mr DeSantis was speaking to former congressman Trey Gowdy, a conservative Republican who himself is a climate change denier, in an interview with the conservative news network following his disastrous Twitter Spaces event minutes earlier with Elon Musk.

Gowdy began the conversation on the topic by bluntly noting that Florida had experienced “a number of hurricanes” — a statement of the profoundly obvious — before asking the governor for his views on climate change and the government’s role in addressing it.

John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.

DeSantis dismisses climate change, calling it ‘politicisation of weather’

Ron DeSantis’ 2024 campaign launch suffers another technical glitch

10:27 , Rachel Sharp

Ron DeSantis suffered yet another technical glitch as he continued to plough ahead with his 2024 campaign run following Wednesday’s disastrous Twitter Spaces launch.

The Florida governor appeared on Newsmax on Thursday night to speak about his priorities as he hopes to get the Republican vote for the presidential race.

But, during his appearance – and in the midst of an attack on the NAACP’s travel advisory – the show suffered a technical problem, with the screen freezing.

This marks the second time in two nights that Mr DeSantis’ campaign launch has been plagued by tech issues after his hotly-anticipated launch fell flat on Wednesday night.

How did a question about Ukraine turn into a rambling answer about trans rights and climate change?

10:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Andrew Feinberg reports on how the Florida governor failed to answer a direct question about Russia’s war on Ukraine during an interview with Trey Gowdy on Fox News.

DeSantis dodges Ukraine question with bizarre answer about trans rights

Memes mock dire Ron DeSantis 2024 launch

09:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Technological glitches launched a thousand memes before the launch of the DeSantis campaign.

Ariana Baio reports.

Memes mock disastrous DeSantis 2024 launch as #DeSaster trends

DeSantis campaign says it raised $8.2 million in first 24 hours

09:15 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Florida governor Ron DeSantis raised $8.2 million in his first 24 hours as a presidential candidate, his campaign said on Thursday.

A donor making calls in the room first disclosed that the campaign had raised $8.2 million, and the figure was confirmed by a spokesperson for Mr DeSantis Bryan Griffin, reported The New York Times.

The figure is more than the $6.3 million that president Joe Biden raised in his first 24 hours as a candidate in 2019.

It is also more than the $6.1 million raised by former Rep. Beto O’Rourke that same year.

It is also roughly double the $4 million that Trump’s campaign said it had raised in the 24 hours after his criminal indictment earlier this year.

Mr Griffin said to the outlet that the campaign was raising both primary and general election funds.

The campaign can raise $3,300 per donor for both the primary and general election.He did not specify how money was earmarked for use only in the general election, should DeSantis become the nominee.

It is also not clear how many donors contributed in the first 24 hours.

Key takeaways from Ron DeSantis’ campaign rollout

08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

After a 30-minute delay caused by technological glitches with Twitter’s “Spaces” audio conversation system, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ much-hyped announcement of his 2024 presidential campaign kicked off with a billionaire praising another billionaire.

The first billionaire, venture capitalist and DeSantis booster David Sacks, opened the conversation with fulsome praise for Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX impresario who bought Twitter last year with the aim of allowing unfettered conversations by all sorts of right-wing characters who’d been banned for violating the site’s rules under its prior management.

Mr Sacks then turned to introduce Mr DeSantis, who he said first drew his attention when the Florida governor began attacking public health measures recommended by medical professionals at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

And with that, Mr DeSantis began making his pitch to voters — or at least the voters who are on Twitter and cared enough to listen.

Here are some key takeaways.

Key takeaways from Ron DeSantis’ campaign rollout

Twitter's launch of DeSantis' presidential bid underscores platform's rightward shift under Musk

08:15 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The new Elon Musk-owned version of Twitter helped Ron DeSantis launch his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday.

Though it was marred by technical glitches and skewered by the candidate’s critics, the forum nevertheless underscored Twitter’s unmistakable shift to the right under Musk, who bought it for $44 billion and took over in October.

“The truth was censored repeatedly, and now that Twitter is in the hands of a free speech advocate, that would not be able to happen again on this Twitter platform,” Mr DeSantis said during the Twitter Spaces event.

Read more:

Twitter's launch of DeSantis' presidential bid underscores platform's rightward shift under Musk

DeSantis laughs off Trump’s mocking nicknames

07:45 , Oliver O'Connell

“You can call me whatever you want just make sure you call me a winner because that’s what we’ve done in the state of Florida — and that’s exactly what we would do nationally, not only in the election but actually bringing all these great policies to bear” he said, without mentioning Mr Trump by name, in an interview with Fox News.

DeSantis laughs off Trump’s endless list of mocking nicknames: ‘Just call me winner’

DeSantis says attacks by Trump show he knows 'I’ve got a good chance to beat him'

07:15 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has said that Donald Trump’s slew of attacks directed at him after he announced his bid for presidency shows that the former president knows that he can beat him.

“I think a lot of what he’s doing is showing everyone that he understands that I’ve got a good chance to beat him, because he doesn’t criticise anybody else now. It’s only me,” Mr DeSantis said in an interview with host Jack Heath on “The Pulse of New Hampshire”, reported Fox News.

“They wouldn’t do that if they didn’t think that I had chance because I think they realize that I am offering folks a record of achievement that’s second to none.”

Will what won Florida for DeSantis win America for him too?

06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

John Bowden profiles the highest-profile Republican seeking to dethrone Donald Trump.

The War on Terror made DeSantis Florida’s anti-woke warrior. Will that win in 2024?

DeSantis pushes past embarrassing campaign start, outlines travel schedule for early state visits

06:15 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has sought to push past an embarrassing beginning to his presidential campaign, outlining an aggressive travel schedule as his allies insisted they remain well funded and well positioned for a long Republican primary fight ahead.

While DeSantis supporters privately acknowledged the bungled announcement was an unwelcome distraction, there was a broad sense — even among some Republican critics — that it would likely have limited long-term political consequences, if any at all.

Read more:

DeSantis pushes past embarrassing campaign start, outlines travel schedule for early state visits

Could Ron DeSantis beat Donald Trump?

05:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia and Andrew Feinberg write:

He’s a ubiquitous presence in conservative media with a reputation as an anti-woke warrior who has used a compliant state legislature to make Florida a mecca for Trump-era Republicanism.

But if Ron DeSantis wants to be president, he has to defeat Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and prominent Florida politicians aren’t so sure either of those things will ever happen.

Read more:

Can Ron DeSantis beat Donald Trump? These Florida political veterans aren’t so sure

Video resurfaces of Ron DeSantis ‘wiping snot’ on elderly supporter

05:15 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Ron DeSantis’s bid to become to the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential candidate got off to a wretched start on Wednesday, when the Twitter Spaces event at which he made his announcement in the company of Elon Musk was hit by a series of technical glitches.

Discussing the “DeSaster” on her MSNBC show The ReidOut on Wednesday night, anchor Joy Reid joined in the mockery of the event and showed a clip of Mr DeSantis meeting supporters at a fundraising bash in Sioux Center, Iowa, last weekend in which he wipes his hand across his face before patting an elderly gentleman sitting nearby on the shoulder.

“Part of running for office is shaking hands,” the host commented. “Not only does this dude eat pudding with his hands, he literally wipes his nose and wiped snot on somebody’s shirt. We have [video] of it.

Read more:

Video resurfaces of Ron DeSantis ‘wiping snot’ on elderly supporter

DeSantis mocked yet again for campaign ad packed with Elon Musk footage

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis’s 2024 campaign paved the way for more ridicule to be heaped upon the Florida governor after his official Twitter Spaces presidential announcement was marred by glitches.

The “DeSantis War Room” Twitter account released a stylised advertisement of over three minutes that was roundly mocked for heavily featuring Elon Musk, whose platform was used for the Republican’s long-awaited campaign announcement.

Shweta Sharma reports.

Ron DeSantis mocked yet again for campaign ad packed with Elon Musk footage

Biden mocks chaotic DeSantis 2024 launch

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden poked fun at Ron DeSantis as the Florida governor’s 2024 campaign kickoff during a Twitter Spaces event with CEO Elon Musk was riddled with tech issues.

David Taintor reports.

Biden mocks chaotic DeSantis 2024 launch amid Twitter tech issues: ‘This link works’

What is Twitter Spaces and what went wrong last night?

03:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis’s long-anticipated 2024 campaign bid for the White House on Twitter Spaces was marred by a host of glitches that gave his political rivals enough ammunition to mock the Florida governor.

Long silences and persistent echoes marred Mr DeSantis’s Wednesday announcement that he made on Twitter’s audio group-chat feature with billionaire Elon Musk who has long boasted about several overhauls to the social media platform to make it better than it was under previous leadership.

Vishwam Sankaran reports.

What is Twitter Spaces and why did it go so wrong during DeSantis’s 2024 launch?

Voices: The right’s delusions about Ron DeSantis

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

Republicans would love to be able to have a sort of super-candidate who could simultaneously pass all of the policies Mr Trump enacted, nominate all of his judges, not fire off tweets that cause them headaches, but also help them get back on the path of victories in the suburbs while also not alienating the very non-college-educated voters (including a non-negligible slice of people of colour) that Mr Trump brought into the Republican fold.

But Mr DeSantis likely isn’t that candidate and he certainly isn’t the beta version of Mr Trump. If anything, he is likely to be the next version of Ted Cruz.

Read more...

The right’s delusions about Ron DeSantis

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Who is Ron DeSantis? Potential challenger to Donald Trump in 2024

ICYMI: DeSantis 2024 launch with Elon Musk derailed by tech issues

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis’ unorthodox campaign launch got off to a troubled start on Wednesday evening due to technological issues with Twitter.

The Florida governor chose to officially kick off his bid for the White House on Twitter in a conversation with Elon Musk, but the beginning of their Twitter Spaces event was bedeviled by issues including long silences and a persistent echo. For some users, the Spaces feature crashed.

Abe Asher reports.

Ron DeSantis 2024 launch with Elon Musk derailed by tech issues

Elon Musk’s curious politics revealed

01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

“I prefer to stay out of politics.” Those were Elon Musk’s words when forced in September 2021 to respond to a claim by Texas governor Greg Abbott that he supported the state’s anti-abortion laws.

If he really does prefer to stay out of politics, however, Musk has a funny way of showing it, writes Io Dodds.

What are Elon Musk’s political beliefs?

Voices: His 2024 launch was laughable but DeSantis could be more dangerous than Trump

Friday 26 May 2023 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ahmed Baba writes:

DeSantis's claim that he can do for America what he's done for Florida may read like a promise to his extreme base, but it is perceived as a warning for the majority of Americans who oppose his extremism.

Read more...

His 2024 launch was laughable but DeSantis could be more dangerous than Trump

‘Faulty robot’ DeSantis mocked over bizarre video of roaring laughter

Friday 26 May 2023 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Nothing is that funny.

Ron DeSantis mocked over bizarre video of roaring laughter

After embarrassing start to campaign, DeSantis outlines early state travel schedule

Thursday 25 May 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday sought to push past an embarrassing beginning to his presidential campaign, outlining an aggressive travel schedule as his allies insisted they remain well funded and well positioned for a long Republican primary fight ahead.

While DeSantis supporters privately acknowledged the bungled announcement was an unwelcome distraction, there was a broad sense — even among some Republican critics — that it would likely have limited long-term political consequences, if any at all.

“Do they wish they could do it over again? Probably,” said David Oman, who managed two top-tier presidential campaigns in Iowa. “Will we be talking about it in 10 days? Probably not.”

DeSantis pushes past embarrassing campaign start, outlines travel schedule for early state visits

What’s on the DeSantis agenda?

Thursday 25 May 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

From the death penalty to gender identity to abortion, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has cemented himself as a conservative standard-bearer in the lead-up to his 2024 presidential announcement.

With the help of GOP supermajorities in the statehouse, the Republican has been able to push through an aggressive agenda that forms the base of his White House run, which he made official in a Federal Election Commission filing Wednesday.

Here’s a look at some of the policies:

What's on DeSantis' agenda? A look at the laws he passed as Florida governor, from abortion to guns

AOC jokes more people watched her gaming online than DeSantis launch

Thursday 25 May 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign launch by noting that more people watched her gaming online than listened to the 44-year-old begin to make his case to the voters.

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.

AOC jokes more people watched her gaming online than listened to DeSantis launch

Everything you need to know about DeSantis v Disney

Thursday 25 May 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward examines how – as Disney writes in a recent lawsuit – “it has come to this.”

DeSantis v Disney: Why Florida’s governor is at war with the Mouse

DeSantis launch highlights Twitter’s rightward lurch under Elon Musk

Thursday 25 May 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Two years ago, signing a bill intended to punish Twitter and other major social media companies, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted the platforms as “suppressing ideas” during the COVID-19 pandemic and silencing conservative voices.

What a turnaround.

The new Elon Musk-owned version of Twitter helped DeSantis launch his bid for the Republican presidential nomination Wednesday.

Read more...

Twitter's launch of DeSantis' presidential bid underscores platform's rightward shift under Musk

Voices: For a Florida man, Ron DeSantis is pretty bad at ‘feeding the alligators’

Thursday 25 May 2023 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia gives his view of the start of the Florida governor’s 2024 campaign and how he has taken his fight to the media.

For a Florida man, Ron DeSantis is pretty bad at ‘feeding the alligators’

Video resurfaces of DeSantis apparently ‘wiping snot’ on elderly supporter

Thursday 25 May 2023 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

At least he didn’t shake his hand?

Video resurfaces of Ron DeSantis ‘wiping snot’ on elderly supporter

What is Twitter Spaces and why did it go so wrong for DeSantis?

Thursday 25 May 2023 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis’s long-anticipated 2024 campaign bid for the White House on Twitter Spaces was marred by a host of glitches that gave his political rivals enough ammunition to mock the Florida governor.

Long silences and persistent echoes marred Mr DeSantis’s Wednesday announcement that he made on Twitter’s audio group-chat feature with billionaire Elon Musk who has long boasted about several overhauls to the social media platform to make it better than it was under previous leadership.

Vishwam Sankaran explains what happened.

What is Twitter Spaces and why did it go so wrong during DeSantis’s 2024 launch?

#DeSaster: Memes mock dire Ron DeSantis 2024 launch on Twitter Spaces

Thursday 25 May 2023 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis’ attempt to launch his 2024 presidential campaign via Twitter Spaces did not go as planned as the platform faced a plethora of technological issues, prompting a flood of memes and mockery.

Ariana Baio reports.

Memes mock disastrous DeSantis 2024 launch as #DeSaster trends

Trump lambasts DeSantis with new videos

Thursday 25 May 2023 20:05 , Oliver O'Connell

“When the Ron DeSanctimonious facts come out, you will see that he is better than most Democrat governors, but very average, at best, compared to Republican governors!” says former president Donald Trump in a newly released video attacking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over his Covid-19 record.

Mr Trump adds in a second video that Mr DeSantis is only governor because of him.

Full story: DeSantis says he will consider pardon for Trump if elected

Thursday 25 May 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday said he would “aggressively” use presidential pardons to free people who’ve been charged or convicted of crimes stemming from participation in the January 6 attack on the Capitol as well as former president Donald Trump.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Ron DeSantis says he will consider pardon for Trump if elected

Fury in Trump’s inner circle as Fox News host seemingly backs Ron DeSantis

Thursday 25 May 2023 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Members of Donald Trump’s inner circle called out Fox News host Mark Levin on Twitter for tweeting the link to Ron DeSantis’ campaign and accused the conservative commentator of fundraising for the Florida governor.

On Wednesday (24 May) evening, Levin tweeted the link hours after Mr DeSantis announced he would be joining the race for 2024 president.

Ariana Baio reports on what happened next.

Trump’s inner circle furious as Fox News host seemingly backs Ron DeSantis

How did a question about Ukraine turn into a rambling answer about trans rights and climate change?

Thursday 25 May 2023 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Andrew Feinberg reports on how the Florida governor failed to answer a direct question about Russia’s war on Ukraine during an interview with Trey Gowdy on Fox News.

DeSantis dodges Ukraine question with bizarre answer about trans rights

DeSantis says he would consider pardoning Jan 6 defendants including Trump, if elected

Thursday 25 May 2023 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

In an interview with The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said if he’s elected president that on his first day in office, he will consider pardoning any January 6th defendant he believes was politically prosecuted from a member of the public all the way up to President Trump himself.

Listen below:

Here’s the full transcript.

GOV DESANTIS: The DOJ and FBI have been weaponized. We see that. We see it in a variety of contexts, some of which you mentioned. Some of it is the FBI going after parents, going to school board meeting. Some of it’s how they treat a pro-life demonstrator, how they don’t go after people that are attacking pro-lifers. And so what I’m going to do is — I’m going to do on day one – I will have folks that will get together and look at all these cases, who people are victims of weaponisation or political targeting, and we will be aggressive at issuing parties. Now, some of these cases, some people may have a technical violation of the law.

But if there are three other people who did the same thing, but just in a context like BLM and they don’t get prosecuted at all, that is uneven application of justice, and so we’re going to find ways where that did not happen. And then we will use the pardon power — and I will do that at the front end. You know, a lot of people wait until the end of the administration to issue pardons. We’re going to find examples where government’s been weaponised against disfavoured groups, and we will apply relief as appropriate. But it will be done on a case-by-case basis because I think you’ve got to make sure that… There’s a whole bunch of cases that don’t necessarily get headlines. But if people are being treated just because they don’t get on TV or something, they’re being treated disfavorably. They need to have a fair hearing as well.

CLAY: And that could be from a grandma who got arrested and prosecuted too much all the way up to, potentially, Trump himself. Is that fair to say when you analyse what the charges might have been brought on a federal level?

GOV. DESANTIS: I would say any example of disfavoured treatment based on politics or weaponisation would be included in that review, no matter how small or how big.