Florida Gov. Three sources familiar with the plans have told NBC News that Ron DeSantis is planning to announce his presidential run during a conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Mohs.
Musk and DeSantis are hosting an event at Twitter Spaces on Wednesday, 6 pm ET. This is the platform that allows audio chats on Twitter. ET. David Sacks will moderate the event, a tech-entrepreneur who is a Musk supporter and a DeSantis confidant.
DeSantis’ campaign will launch a video that evening and begin touring several states shortly after Memorial Day.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; Elon Musk.
Getty Images; dpa / picture alliance
DeSantis could benefit from the relationship by gaining access to Musk’s 140 million followers on Twitter and establishing his credibility. It could be a problem if DeSantis becomes distracted by Musk’s controversial remarks.
The launch will bring together a billionaire tech mogul and one of the rising stars in the Republican Party. Musk is a fan of DeSantis who regularly criticizes corporate media. Musk stated last year that he would back the governor in a presidential run.
The announcement will be made in conjunction with a Miami retreat for high-end fundraisers who have pledged their support to DeSantis. Bundlers are expected to gather at the Four Seasons Hotel from May 24 to 26. They will receive briefings by campaign staff and have time to make calls to raise funds for the campaign.
According to a source who is familiar with these discussions, the DeSantis campaign has been in contact with Musk at least for the past few weeks. The source claimed that Musk said he didn’t believe former President Donald Trump could win back the White House in those conversations.
The person stated, “He is interested in the future and wants to win again.”
Musk’s participation in DeSantis team is seen as a sign of clear support by the governor, according to another source.
Musk is unpredictable and, on Friday, , he tweeted support for an ad from Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), one of DeSantis’ rivals in the GOP primary.
NBC News has not received a comment from Musk, Sacks, or the DeSantis Campaign for this article.
Musk may not endorse DeSantis in full, but aligning his company with the announcement of DeSantis’ presidential candidacy puts them and their company closer to a presidential race than any tech company has ever been. Twitter, Facebook, and other tech companies have launched voter registration and election hubs, but kept candidates at a distance.
Musk’s participation in DeSantis’ presidential launch is a blow to Trump’s inevitability.
According to a GOP fundraiser who attended the dinner, DeSantis and Musk met in early 2021 at a dinner with 15 other people, including tech investors, health care officials, developers, and others.
Sacks is also a close friend of the two. He’s a Republican major donor who has openly supported DeSantis. Sacks is also considered to be a member of Musk’s inner circle when it comes to Twitter decisions.
Musk built a large following after purchasing Twitter, promising to restore “free speech,” after years of complaints by the right that Twitter had attempted to censor conservatives. Musk’s first step was to reinstate the accounts of former far-right Twitter users suspended for spreading misinformation. is launching a Twitter show by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Carlson remains one of conservative media’s most popular figures, even after Fox News fired him.
DeSantis seems to find that partnering with Musk is attractive. According to NBC News, one of the sources who is familiar with the plans said that DeSantis aides had been watching Twitter under Musk become a more friendly place for conservative firebrands. This allowed them to bypass the traditional media and speak directly to conservative audiences — something which was once Trump’s superpower.
Trump was banned by Twitter following the insurrection of his Capitol supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. He has not returned to the site, even after Musk reinstated Trump last fall.
“I expect that the campaign will paint a positive picture of the country. The entire rollout will focus on the future versus the past, success and failure, winning and losing, and action and talk. This is the theme of the race, according to a source who was familiar with the plan.
The plan does not come without risks. Musk’s star power on the international stage could outshine DeSantis who, while well-known in Republican circles, isn’t as widely known. DeSantis might not want to be held accountable for Musk’s entire position, including individual tweets. For example, his comments on progressive megadonor George Soros have enraged Jewish leaders.
Sources familiar with the plans say that DeSantis’ team isn’t concerned about being overshadowed. They argue that the governor doesn’t mind not being the center of attention.
DeSantis faces an additional risk, however, because while Musk is able to mobilize a lot of power behind him — and has supporters in the former President’s base, Trump has built a career on portraying himself in the role of an underdog, fighting against powerful forces in his own party, in the Democratic Party, in government, and in industry. Musk, and DeSantis by extension, could be framed just as the latest corporate titan aligned against Trump’s movements.
Musk will step down from his position as Twitter’s chief executive officer in the coming weeks. He announced recently that he had recruited Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter. She was the former head for NBCUniversal’s ad sales. Musk stated that he will still be responsible for product design, new technology and business.
