#DeSantis’s 2024 rivals pile on over tech issues with campaign launch

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) rivals in the 2024 presidential race reveled in the tech issues that marred his official announcement Wednesday using Twitter Spaces.

DeSantis, who officially entered the GOP primary race Wednesday, was set to speak with Twitter CEO Elon Musk on the platform’s audio-only chatroom function, Twitter Spaces. But the audio repeatedly cut out and tech issues overshadowed the launch as hundreds of thousands of listeners tried to tune in.

Rival campaigns were swift to poke fun at DeSantis’s troubles.

“Ron DeSantis’ botched campaign announcement is another example of why he is just not ready for the job,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC aligned with former President Trump, said in a statement.

“The stakes are too high, and the fight to save America is too critical to gamble on a first-timer who is clearly not ready for prime time,” she added. “President Trump is the proven leader that will be ready on day one to turn the country around.”

Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son, tweeted “#DeSaster” as the launch struggled to get going.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), who has already declared his candidacy, used the moment to fundraise.

“Just like my policies, this link works,” Hutchinson tweeted, along with a link to donate to his campaign and a pitch that he is “the consistent conservative candidate whose policies work every time.”

Ken Farnaso, a spokesperson for Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign, tweeted a video of the former South Carolina governor’s launch event in her home state in February.

“We’re so proud of @TeamHaley and our incredible campaign launch,” he tweeted.

Democrats also got in on the fun. President Biden tweeted, “This link works” with a link to a donation page for his own reelection campaign.

Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement that the issue-laden announcement showed DeSantis “was quite literally not ready for primetime.”