Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced his candidacy for the US presidential elections to be held in 2024, to be the most prominent challenger to former President Donald Trump, who in turn aspires to return to the White House.
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis officially announced, on Wednesday, that he has submitted his candidacy for the US presidential elections to be held in 2024, which brings him face to face with President Donald Trump during the party's primary elections, while Trump wishes to return to the White House.
And the American media read in DeSantis's candidacy a "challenge to Trump", at a time when the Republican Party is aware of the growing criticism of the former president, and the rise of a trend calling for a break with his legacy, especially in his relationship to the dramatic events that ended his term. Which begs the question about DeSantis' ability to win the Republican elections in his favour.
America's Great Return on Twitter
In a precedent of its kind, DeSantis announced his candidacy for the US presidency, on the social networking platform Twitter, and in an interview with the billionaire owner of the platform, Elon Musk. Musk had succeeded in persuading DeSantis to launch his campaign for the 2024 presidential elections through a direct conversation on the social network, as part of the "Twitter Space" event he runs.
DeSantis revealed that he chose the slogan "America's Great Return" for his campaign. And he posted on Twitter a promotional video for the campaign, in which he promised to fight the "border chaos" that the country is experiencing and "restore security and prosperity" to American society, citing the example of his work as governor of Florida, where he chose "facts over intimidation, education over ideological indoctrination, and law and order over protests and chaos." .
Ron DeSantis is seen as the most prominent competitor to Donald Trump, as his star shone among the conservative political right recently, after his success last November in winning a second term at the head of Florida. DeSantis has been known for turning Florida into a laboratory of conservative ideas, with his facilitating access to firearms, and his tough stances on immigration, education and the abortion law.
The campaign launch meeting on Twitter witnessed technical malfunctions with its inception, which sparked a wave of ridicule from its competitors. One of Donald Trump's advisers commented to the French press sarcastically that "announcing his (Desantis) candidacy on Twitter applies completely to his personality," because "that way he does not need to interact with anyone."
Who is Ron DeSantis?
Ron DeSantis is 44 years old, married and father of three children, and holds two university degrees from Yale University, where he studied history, and Harvard University, where he studied law. DeSantis served in the US Marine Corps as an officer in the Public Prosecution Service, serving at Guantanamo Bay and fighting in Iraq.
DeSantis is accused of being one of the supervisors of human rights violations against detainees in Guantanamo, including force-feeding them.
DeSantis was first elected to Congress in 2012, where he fought for term limits, tax cuts, and was a prominent opponent of former US President Barack Obama's administration. He was re-elected to Congress in 2014 and 2016.
During his last term in Congress, DeSantis was a big supporter of President Donald Trump and his right-wing agenda. In 2019, he led his campaign to run for governor of Florida as one of the faces close to the president, and subsequently won the party's nomination and the position of governor of the state.
Does DeSantis win the Republican race for the presidency of America?
Since winning the governorship of Florida, Ron DeSantis has been seen as one of the main challengers to former President Donald Trump during the Republican primary elections. On November 16, Trump announced his ambition to return to the White House and his official candidacy for the 2024 presidency.
DeSantis's announcement of his candidacy coincides with what the party is witnessing from the rise of a current that wants to break with the figure of Donald Trump, who after 2017 became the "undisputed leader of the party." Trump's Republican critics blame the former president for the defeats the party suffered during the 2018, 2020 and 2022 elections, and fear that the establishment will pay the price for his scandals and the dramatic way he left the White House .
Even before announcing his candidacy on Wednesday, the Florida governor was engaged in a battle to find supporters within the party's top and elected officials. Chip Roy, Texas Rep. and DeSantis supporter, said: “America needs a leader who will truly stand up for it and empower its people from the destructive power of unrestrained government and corporate hyperbole, wasteful spending, and awakening cultural ideology That leader is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.” .
However, as of mid-April, DeSantis had only three supporters in Congress, compared to 45 for Trump.
The challenge of defeating Trump will be the most prominent obstacle for DeSantis, as despite the great criticism of him within the party, the former president still maintains wide popularity at the grassroots level. After the presentation he made during his public meeting with Republican voters on CNN, on May 11, observers concluded that Trump's grip is still tight within the party and that he is his strongest candidate for the 2024 presidency.
According to recent opinion polls , Trump is far ahead of his rival DeSantis, as the former president received about 53.6% of the voting intentions, compared to 21% for the governor of Florida.
US President Joe Biden forgets how to salute the flag on Memorial Day
US President Joe Biden participated in "Memorial Day" to honor "those who died so that the nation might live", and as usual, his appearance was not without some ironic situations.
Biden appeared with his deputy Kamala Harris and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, as he was walking in a strange way, then they stood to salute the flag and listen to the national anthem, but Biden made a mistake in saluting, and instead of putting his hand on his chest like the rest, he put it on his head.
Biden participated in the memorial day ceremony by visiting Arlington National Cemetery, and laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Subsequently, in his speech, he praised the sacrifices of generations of soldiers who died for their country, pointing out that they "died so that our nation might live."
"On Memorial Day, we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," the US president added, noting the importance of renewing commitment to the US military personnel who lost their lives.
Memorial Day has been a federal holiday in America since 1971.
9 people were injured in a shooting accident in Florida : Hollywood
A shooting accident in Hollywood, Florida, USA, left 9 people injured, including minors.
According to the American “CBS” channel, the shooting occurred during a quarrel between two groups, at dawn today, Tuesday, and 9 injured people, including minors, were taken to hospital.
The US police arrested one person as a result of the shooting incident, while the search is still underway for another person.
Hollywood police spokeswoman Diana Petinci told reporters the other suspect is a black man.
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