The New StatesmanThe New Statesman

The dark reality of Ron DeSantis’s disastrous campaign launch

By Sarah Baxter

25 May 2023 · 4 min read

informed Summary

Takeaways:

Earth to DeSantis. Are you there? Pop, crackle, silence… By the time Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, could be heard on Twitter Spaces on Wednesday (24 May) evening, his nascent presidential campaign was crashing and burning as thoroughly as Elon Musk’s servers. Hello from the other side. The loser’s side.

The hashtag #DeSaster began trending on Twitter, joining Tiny D, Meatball Ron and Ron DeSanctus as unwelcome nicknames. Musk, the twit-in-chief, forgot that his medium is made for trolling, not solemnly launching presidential campaigns. All the blather by DeSantis's tech bro and launch sidekick David Sacks about him “breaking the internet” (with 600,000 initial listeners, fast dwindling) merely mimicked the worst spin room excuses of traditional political operatives.

Sign in to informed

  • Curated articles from premium publishers, ad-free
  • Concise Daily Briefs with quick-read summaries
  • Read, listen, save for later, or enjoy offline
  • Enjoy personalized content
Or

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.