TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Just 24 hours ago, we were trying to hear Gov. Ron DeSantis launch his presidential campaign. The audio-only event was marred by technical glitches.
8 On Your Side saw about 600,000 listeners join the Twitter Spaces conversation. DeSantis and his team said the large audience broke the site.
That glitchy, overwhelmed Twitter feed finally worked and today Gov. DeSantis moved forward, focusing on fundraising in Miami.
The DeSantis team argues the glitch was a sign of success, but political experts say he stumbled out of the gate.
The question now: Will he make a comeback?
“The border there’s a lot you can do,” DeSantis told Fox News just two hours after the Twitter launch meltdown. “It did break the Twitter Space and so we’re really excited with the enthusiasm.”
The attacks from rivals came fast and continued today.
“‘Rob’ DeSanctimonious and his poll numbers are dropping like a rock!” former President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday.
Trump just released a new batch of videos on the platform.
Although Trump is the clear front-runner, political expert Tara Newsom says the field is about to get more crowded.
“Gov DeSantis had a really rough night,” said Newsom. “I think the weak showing last night ended up being an invitation to compete with him.”
The DeSantis team brushing off the rocky start and said he raised $1 million in an hour.
The fundraising has continued Thursday as the governor meets with donors in Miami.
Newsom says the launch exposed one potential weakness.
“A big criticism of Ron DeSantis is that he’s not relatable, and he’s not warm,” she said. “Honestly, he ended up, I think, making people really dig into that narrative that he just doesn’t know how to connect.”
The risky venue choice may have backfired. But Newsom says this is far from over and America loves a comeback story.
“He can really leverage this stumble of his announcement into how he is a fighter and that he can speak to the American people and he can dust himself off.”