<p>The race to secure the presidential nomination from the Republican party is heating up. While former president Donald Trump still leads the GOP charts, it is India-origin&nbsp;American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy who&nbsp;has&nbsp;made rapid strides to tie himself to second-placed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to a poll conducted by Emerson College, Ramaswamy and DeSantis were tied at 10 per cent each, trailing Trump, who holds a substantial lead with 56 per cent.&nbsp;</p>

<p>DeSantis suffered a plunge of 21 per cent in the polls since June while Ramaswamy, who was stuck on two per cent, had made a steady climb.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Talking about the poll results, Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball&nbsp; said Ramaswamy made improvements in voters with postgraduate degrees, taking 17 per cent of that group, and with younger voters, winning 16 per cent of those younger than 35.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Comparatively, DeSantis fell sharply in favour among the&nbsp;postgraduate voters from 38 per cent in June to 14 per cent now.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The poll may have come as a warning message for DeSantis who was urged by the super Political Action Committee (PAC) in a leaked memo to "take a sledgehammer" to Ramaswamy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Ramaswamy replied to the memo saying:&nbsp;“Another boring, establishment attack from Super PAC-creation ‘Robot Ron’ who is literally taking lame, pre-programmed attack lines against me for next week’s debate."</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/vivek-ramaswamy-i-want-to-revive-our-nations-patriotism-and-pride-613452"><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Vivek Ramaswamy: I want to revive our nation's patriotism and pride</strong></a></p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" data-gtm-yt-inspected-20="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-25="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-30="true" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/vivek-ramaswamy-i-want-to-revive-our-nations-patriotism-and-pride-613452/embed" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Ramaswamy and his politics&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>Ramaswamy is a US citizen, born and raised in&nbsp;Cincinnati, Ohio.&nbsp;His father worked at the General Electric Plant in Evendale, Ohio while his&nbsp;mother was a geriatric psychiatrist in Cincinnati.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He put his hat in the ring to secure a presidential nomination earlier this year.&nbsp;He is up against Trump, DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Chris Christie&nbsp;and other GOP heavyweights.</p>

<p>After making sedate progress through his perfect elocution and clarity of&nbsp;ideas,&nbsp; Ramaswamy has lifted himself into serious discussion after X (formerly known as Twitter) owner Elon Musk publicly endorsed him and his ideas.</p>

<p>Ramaswamy was also granted a space on former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson's new show where he exhibited his core campaign ideas, which were widely appreciated by the netizens.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Musk responded to a clip of Ramaswamy, shared on X after his appearance on Carlson’s show and said:&nbsp;“He [Ramaswamy]&nbsp;is a very promising candidate."</p>

<p>The Tesla CEO’s support also comes ahead of a Republican-leaning enclave in Atlanta, in the US state of Georgia, in an otherwise Democratic-dominated city.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em><br />
<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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The race to secure the presidential nomination from the Republican party is heating up. While former president Donald Trump still leads the GOP charts, it is India-origin American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy who has made rapid strides to tie himself to second-placed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

The race to secure the presidential nomination from the Republican party is heating up. While former president Donald Trump still leads the GOP charts, it is India-origin American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy who has made rapid strides to tie himself to second-placed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. According to a poll conducted by Emerson College, Ramaswamy and DeSantis were tied at 10 per cent each, trailing Trump, who holds a substantial lead with 56 per cent. DeSantis suffered a plunge of 21 per cent in the polls since June while Ramaswamy, who was stuck on two per cent, had made a steady climb. Talking about the poll results, Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball said Ramaswamy made improvements in voters with postgraduate degrees, taking 17 per cent of that group, and with younger voters, winning 16 per cent of those younger than 35. Comparatively, DeSantis fell sharply in favour among the postgraduate voters from 38 per cent in June to 14 per cent now. The poll may have come as a warning message for DeSantis who was urged by the super Political Action Committee (PAC) in a leaked memo to "take a sledgehammer" to Ramaswamy. Meanwhile, Ramaswamy replied to the memo saying: “Another boring, establishment attack from Super PAC-creation ‘Robot Ron’ who is literally taking lame, pre-programmed attack lines against me for next week’s debate." Watch | Vivek Ramaswamy: I want to revive our nation's patriotism and pride Ramaswamy and his politics Ramaswamy is a US citizen, born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father worked at the General Electric Plant in Evendale, Ohio while his mother was a geriatric psychiatrist in Cincinnati. He put his hat in the ring to secure a presidential nomination earlier this year. He is up against Trump, DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Chris Christie and other GOP heavyweights. After making sedate progress through his perfect elocution and clarity of ideas, Ramaswamy has lifted himself into serious discussion after X (formerly known as Twitter) owner Elon Musk publicly endorsed him and his ideas. Ramaswamy was also granted a space on former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson's new show where he exhibited his core campaign ideas, which were widely appreciated by the netizens. Musk responded to a clip of Ramaswamy, shared on X after his appearance on Carlson’s show and said: “He [Ramaswamy] is a very promising candidate." The Tesla CEO’s support also comes ahead of a Republican-leaning enclave in Atlanta, in the US state of Georgia, in an otherwise Democratic-dominated city. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy now tied with Ron DeSantis at second in GOP primary: Poll

US Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has fired more than 40 per cent of its original of his original campaign staff. The decision has been reportedly taken amid concerns that the campaign is spending money too quickly. DeSantis has fired more than 38 campaign staffers across various departments.

Ron DeSantis replaces 2024 presidential election campaign manager

<p>Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fired his campaign manager on Tuesday as he struggles to close the gap in the US Republican presidential primary on runaway frontrunner Donald Trump.</p>

<p>James Uthmeier, the candidate's longtime chief of staff in his day job in Tallahassee, replaces&nbsp;Generra Peck -- the latest of a number of unofficial campaign reboots with the candidate languishing almost 40 points behind Trump in polling averages.</p>

<p>The shake-up comes in the wake of DeSantis firing more than a third of his staffers, with aides acknowledging overspending amid a series of negative headlines over the 44-year-old governor's hardline right wing policies and awkwardness with voters.</p>

<p>Uthmeier joins the team alongside a second appointment, longtime Iowa Republican operative David Polyansky, as DeSantis and his rivals hope for a breakout moment in the first debate on August 23, which Trump has suggested he may skip. Peck will stay on as a strategist.</p>

<p>"We are excited about these additions as we continue to spread the governor's message across the country. It's time to reverse our nation's decline and revive America's future," said DeSantis spokesman Andrew Romeo.</p>

<p>DeSantis used his first network television interview of the campaign on Monday to go further than he has before in criticizing the frontrunner, explicitly rejecting Trump's false claims of voter fraud in the last election.</p>

<p>The majority of Republican primary voters believe wrongly that Trump won the last election, and bolstering the former president's false claims of fraud had become a litmus test for those hoping to rise in the party ranks.</p>

<p>The governor said the last election had not been perfect, but he dismissed the former president's allegations of foul play by President Joe Biden's Democrats.</p>

<p>The twice-impeached Trump has been indicted over his efforts to overturn the election that culminated in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol.</p>

<p>The case is the most serious of four criminal probes that have yielded dozens of felony charges, including allegations that the 77-year-old billionaire endangered national security by storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago beach resort in Florida.</p>

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fired his campaign manager on Tuesday as he struggles to close the gap in the US Republican presidential primary on runaway frontrunner Donald Trump.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fired his campaign manager on Tuesday as he struggles to close the gap in the US Republican presidential primary on runaway frontrunner Donald Trump. James Uthmeier, the candidate's longtime chief of staff in his day job in Tallahassee, replaces Generra Peck -- the latest of a number of unofficial campaign reboots with the candidate languishing almost 40 points behind Trump in polling averages. The shake-up comes in the wake of DeSantis firing more than a third of his staffers, with aides acknowledging overspending amid a series of negative headlines over the 44-year-old governor's hardline right wing policies and awkwardness with voters. Uthmeier joins the team alongside a second appointment, longtime Iowa Republican operative David Polyansky, as DeSantis and his rivals hope for a breakout moment in the first debate on August 23, which Trump has suggested he may skip. Peck will stay on as a strategist. "We are excited about these additions as we continue to spread the governor's message across the country. It's time to reverse our nation's decline and revive America's future," said DeSantis spokesman Andrew Romeo. DeSantis used his first network television interview of the campaign on Monday to go further than he has before in criticizing the frontrunner, explicitly rejecting Trump's false claims of voter fraud in the last election. The majority of Republican primary voters believe wrongly that Trump won the last election, and bolstering the former president's false claims of fraud had become a litmus test for those hoping to rise in the party ranks. The governor said the last election had not been perfect, but he dismissed the former president's allegations of foul play by President Joe Biden's Democrats. The twice-impeached Trump has been indicted over his efforts to overturn the election that culminated in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol. The case is the most serious of four criminal probes that have yielded dozens of felony charges, including allegations that the 77-year-old billionaire endangered national security by storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago beach resort in Florida. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Struggling US presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis sacks campaign chief

<p>United States 2024 presidential hopeful and rightwing Florida governor Ron DeSantis faced wide condemnation after he stated that if he gets elected to the White House, he will “start slitting throats” in the country's federal bureaucracy from the first day he comes in power.<br />
<br />
National Treasury Employees Union president Tony Reardon called the comments of hardline Republicans “repulsive and unworthy of the presidential campaign trail”.<br />
<br />
As reported by The Guardian, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) President Everett Kelley said, “Governor DeSantis’ threat to ‘start slitting throats’ of federal employees is dangerous, disgusting, disgraceful and disqualifying.”<br />
<br />
Among other commentators, columnist Max Boot said that the words of DeSantis were “deranged” while founder of the Bulwark, a conservative site, Bill Kristol said that the governor was “making a bold play to dominate the maniacal psychopath lane in the Republican primary”.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-widens-lead-over-desantis-with-record-54-per-cent-support-even-as-legal-challenges-mount-621349">Trump widens lead over DeSantis with record 54% support even as legal challenges mount</a></p>

<p>DeSantis has been clearly in second place in the Republican primary but is lagging behind Donald Trump by more than 30 points in most averages, notwithstanding proliferating legal jeopardy of the former president, which includes 78 criminal charges.<br />
<br />
The comment about slitting throats was made by DeSantis at an event in the second state to vote New Hampshire, as reported by The Guardian.<br />
<br />
“On bureaucracy, you know, we’re going to have all these deep state people, you know, we’re going to start slitting throats on day one and be ready to go,” DeSantis stated. “You’re going to see a huge, huge outcry because Washington wants to protect its own,” he added.</p>

<h2><strong>DeSantis uses line ‘slitting throats’ often</strong></h2>

<p>The line “slitting throats” has been used by DeSantis even before. Last week, he had said to rightwing columnist John Solomon that he wished to appoint a defence secretary who can “slit some throats” and be “very firm, very strong”.<br />
<br />
Condemning remarks of DeSantis, Kelley said, “Federal employees – over a third of whom are veterans now wearing their second uniform in service to their country – have dedicated their lives to serving their fellow Americans.”</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;‘Peaky Blinders’ team condemns Ron DeSantis campaign's ‘homophobic’ post</strong></p>

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<p>“They support our military, provide healthcare to our nation’s veterans, enforce our laws, safeguard our communities, deliver benefits to America’s most vulnerable citizens, keep our skies safe for air travel, protect human health and our environment, and much more,” he added.<br />
<br />
“These public servants deserve respect and commendation from our nation’s leaders. No federal employee should face death threats from anyone, least of all from someone seeking to lead the US government. Governor DeSantis must retract his irresponsible statement,” he stated.</p>

<p>You can&nbsp;<strong>now write for&nbsp;wionews.com</strong>&nbsp;and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.</strong></p>

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United States 2024 presidential hopeful and rightwing Florida governor Ron DeSantis faced wide condemnation after he stated that if he gets elected to the White House, he will “start slitting throats” in the country's federal bureaucracy from the first day he comes in power.

United States 2024 presidential hopeful and rightwing Florida governor Ron DeSantis faced wide condemnation after he stated that if he gets elected to the White House, he will “start slitting throats” in the country's federal bureaucracy from the first day he comes in power. National Treasury Employees Union president Tony Reardon called the comments of hardline Republicans “repulsive and unworthy of the presidential campaign trail”. As reported by The Guardian, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) President Everett Kelley said, “Governor DeSantis’ threat to ‘start slitting throats’ of federal employees is dangerous, disgusting, disgraceful and disqualifying.” Among other commentators, columnist Max Boot said that the words of DeSantis were “deranged” while founder of the Bulwark, a conservative site, Bill Kristol said that the governor was “making a bold play to dominate the maniacal psychopath lane in the Republican primary”. ALSO READ | Trump widens lead over DeSantis with record 54% support even as legal challenges mount DeSantis has been clearly in second place in the Republican primary but is lagging behind Donald Trump by more than 30 points in most averages, notwithstanding proliferating legal jeopardy of the former president, which includes 78 criminal charges. The comment about slitting throats was made by DeSantis at an event in the second state to vote New Hampshire, as reported by The Guardian. “On bureaucracy, you know, we’re going to have all these deep state people, you know, we’re going to start slitting throats on day one and be ready to go,” DeSantis stated. “You’re going to see a huge, huge outcry because Washington wants to protect its own,” he added. DeSantis uses line ‘slitting throats’ often The line “slitting throats” has been used by DeSantis even before. Last week, he had said to rightwing columnist John Solomon that he wished to appoint a defence secretary who can “slit some throats” and be “very firm, very strong”. Condemning remarks of DeSantis, Kelley said, “Federal employees – over a third of whom are veterans now wearing their second uniform in service to their country – have dedicated their lives to serving their fellow Americans.” WATCH | ‘Peaky Blinders’ team condemns Ron DeSantis campaign's ‘homophobic’ post “They support our military, provide healthcare to our nation’s veterans, enforce our laws, safeguard our communities, deliver benefits to America’s most vulnerable citizens, keep our skies safe for air travel, protect human health and our environment, and much more,” he added. “These public servants deserve respect and commendation from our nation’s leaders. No federal employee should face death threats from anyone, least of all from someone seeking to lead the US government. Governor DeSantis must retract his irresponsible statement,” he stated. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

US: DeSantis says will ‘start slitting throats’ in federal bureaucracy if elected, sparks outrage

<p>Florida Governor and Republican presidential contender Ron DeSantis was involved in a car crash in Tennessee on Tuesday (July 25).</p>

<p>He was en route to an event in Chattanooga in the morning when the incident took place.</p>

<p>"This morning, the governor was in a car accident while travelling to an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee," Press Secretary Bryan Griffin told Fox News in a statement. "He and his team are uninjured,” Griffin said, but did not specify how many staff were there in the vehicle.</p>

<p>“We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” Griffin added.</p>

<h2><strong>DeSantis unhurt</strong></h2>

<p>DeSantis is continuing on to his event, spokesman Andrew Romeo told AP news agency.</p>

<p>The 44-year-old Republican candidate is scheduled to hold events throughout central and eastern Tennessee, as he has been focusing a lot of attention in his recent campaigning.</p>

<p>Earlier this month, he addressed more than 1,800 attendees at a state GOP dinner in Nashville.</p>

<p>DeSantis announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential primary In May this year through Twitter Spaces, joined by the platform’s CEO Elon Musk.</p>

<p>However, his entry encountered with technical difficulties when Twitter's servers apparently could not handle the surge in traffic.</p>

<p>The interview, which was intended to serve as the formal launch of DeSantis' campaign, suffered from intermittent sound issues.</p>

<h2><strong>Doing string of campaigns&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>DeSantis is considered the main challenger of former president Donald Trump&nbsp;for the 2024 Republican contest.</p>

<p>He has been attending a string of fundraisers lately as his campaign has faced some surprising financial pressures, reports AP news agency.</p>

<p>During the weakened, he was in Utah holding fundraisers and in New York last week for an event in the Hamptons.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-removes-qin-gang-appoints-wang-yi-as-new-foreign-minister-in-surprise-shake-up-619269">China sacks 'missing' Qin Gang as foreign minister, reinstates Wang Yi</a></p>

<p>Fox News, quoting DeSantis’ campaign staff, reported that the money had been spent on unsuccessful operations and that Team DeSantis would run a leaner, "insurgent" type campaign going forward.</p>

<p>"Something needs to change and there needs to be a new ignition," a leading DeSantis donor told Fox News.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-plane-fighting-wildfires-in-greece-crashes-burst-into-flames-619338">Watch | Plane fighting wildfires in Greece crashes, burst into flames</a></p>

<p>In the first six weeks of his campaign, DeSantis raised an impressive $20.1 million, however nearly half – $8.2 million – came in the first 24 hours after DeSantis declared his candidacy.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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Florida Governor and Republican presidential contender Ron DeSantis was involved in a car crash in Tennessee on Tuesday (July 25). He was en route to an event in Chattanooga in the morning when the incident took place.

Florida Governor and Republican presidential contender Ron DeSantis was involved in a car crash in Tennessee on Tuesday (July 25). He was en route to an event in Chattanooga in the morning when the incident took place. "This morning, the governor was in a car accident while travelling to an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee," Press Secretary Bryan Griffin told Fox News in a statement. "He and his team are uninjured,” Griffin said, but did not specify how many staff were there in the vehicle. “We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” Griffin added. DeSantis unhurt DeSantis is continuing on to his event, spokesman Andrew Romeo told AP news agency. The 44-year-old Republican candidate is scheduled to hold events throughout central and eastern Tennessee, as he has been focusing a lot of attention in his recent campaigning. Earlier this month, he addressed more than 1,800 attendees at a state GOP dinner in Nashville. DeSantis announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential primary In May this year through Twitter Spaces, joined by the platform’s CEO Elon Musk. However, his entry encountered with technical difficulties when Twitter's servers apparently could not handle the surge in traffic. The interview, which was intended to serve as the formal launch of DeSantis' campaign, suffered from intermittent sound issues. Doing string of campaigns DeSantis is considered the main challenger of former president Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican contest. He has been attending a string of fundraisers lately as his campaign has faced some surprising financial pressures, reports AP news agency. During the weakened, he was in Utah holding fundraisers and in New York last week for an event in the Hamptons. Also read | China sacks 'missing' Qin Gang as foreign minister, reinstates Wang Yi Fox News, quoting DeSantis’ campaign staff, reported that the money had been spent on unsuccessful operations and that Team DeSantis would run a leaner, "insurgent" type campaign going forward. "Something needs to change and there needs to be a new ignition," a leading DeSantis donor told Fox News. Also read | Watch | Plane fighting wildfires in Greece crashes, burst into flames In the first six weeks of his campaign, DeSantis raised an impressive $20.1 million, however nearly half – $8.2 million – came in the first 24 hours after DeSantis declared his candidacy. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Florida Governor and Republican presidential contender Ron DeSantis involved in car accident

The team behind ‘Peaky Blinders’ has condemned a “homophobic” video posted by Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign last week. The video highlights former president Donald Trump’s previous statements supporting gay rights. On Friday, June 30, the Florida Governor’s campaign posted a video on Twitter, saying it marked the end of a month when LGBTQ+ pride celebrations were held.

‘Peaky Blinders’ team condemns Ron DeSantis campaign's ‘homophobic’ post

<p>Republican presidential frontrunner and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis began implementing more than 200 new laws this week amid his intensified political campaign for the White House. The new laws address immigration and expanded access to guns, and have resulted in a strong reaction from neighbouring Mexico.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><b>DeSantis throws focus on illegal&nbsp;immigration</b></h2>

<p>The top focus of new laws is illegal immigration. The new laws&nbsp;specify stringent penalties for employers who hire immigrants residing in the United States illegally.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The new law mandates that any company with 25 or more employees must use E-Verify to confirm the eligibility of newly hired individuals to work in the United States. Failure to comply could result in the revocation of their business license or fines of $1,000 per day per employee.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-is-ron-desantis-all-you-need-to-know-about-republican-leader-seeking-prez-nomination-595578">Who is Ron DeSantis? All you need to know about Republican leader who joined White House race</a></strong></p>

<p>Additionally, hospitals accepting Medicaid will be required to inquire about patients' citizenship or legal status in the United States. Furthermore, the law invalidates driver's licenses issued by other states for individuals residing in the country illegally.</p>

<p>The legislation introduces additional worker verification requirements, among other provisions.</p>

<p>DeSantis has vowed to complete the Mexican border wall that was promised by former president Donald Trump.</p>

<p>DeSantis' focus on illegal immigration aligns with Trump's border policies.&nbsp;</p>

<p>These policies were crucial in DeSantis' successful bid for the governorship in 2018.</p>

<h2><strong>Expansion of gun rights</strong></h2>

<p>A new law that was enforced on July 1&nbsp;allows individuals legally permitted to own firearms to carry them concealed in public without a permit.</p>

<p>While concealed weapon&nbsp;permits will still be available, those choosing to carry without one will not be subjected to background checks or training.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Controversial U.S. Immigration policy Title 42 ends</strong></p>

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<p>Another newly enacted law prohibits credit card companies from monitoring gun and ammunition purchases to prevent potential profiling of individuals making large transactions.</p>

<h2><strong>Mexico reacts</strong></h2>

<p>Mexico's government on Saturday slammed Florida's new laws and vowed to help protect undocumented Mexicans in that state.</p>

<p>Mexico's foreign ministry in a statement said that provisions could prompt discrimination and racial profiling, and give rise to hate crimes.</p>

<p>"Criminalisation is not the way to resolve the phenomenon of undocumented migration," the ministry said, describing the new measures as driven by xenophobia and white nationalism.</p>

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Republican presidential frontrunner and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis began implementing more than 200 new laws this week amid his intensified political campaign for the White House.

Republican presidential frontrunner and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis began implementing more than 200 new laws this week amid his intensified political campaign for the White House. The new laws address immigration and expanded access to guns, and have resulted in a strong reaction from neighbouring Mexico. DeSantis throws focus on illegal immigration The top focus of new laws is illegal immigration. The new laws specify stringent penalties for employers who hire immigrants residing in the United States illegally. The new law mandates that any company with 25 or more employees must use E-Verify to confirm the eligibility of newly hired individuals to work in the United States. Failure to comply could result in the revocation of their business license or fines of $1,000 per day per employee. Also read | Who is Ron DeSantis? All you need to know about Republican leader who joined White House race Additionally, hospitals accepting Medicaid will be required to inquire about patients' citizenship or legal status in the United States. Furthermore, the law invalidates driver's licenses issued by other states for individuals residing in the country illegally. The legislation introduces additional worker verification requirements, among other provisions. DeSantis has vowed to complete the Mexican border wall that was promised by former president Donald Trump. DeSantis' focus on illegal immigration aligns with Trump's border policies. These policies were crucial in DeSantis' successful bid for the governorship in 2018. Expansion of gun rights A new law that was enforced on July 1 allows individuals legally permitted to own firearms to carry them concealed in public without a permit. While concealed weapon permits will still be available, those choosing to carry without one will not be subjected to background checks or training. Also watch | Gravitas: Controversial U.S. Immigration policy Title 42 ends × Another newly enacted law prohibits credit card companies from monitoring gun and ammunition purchases to prevent potential profiling of individuals making large transactions. Mexico reacts Mexico's government on Saturday slammed Florida's new laws and vowed to help protect undocumented Mexicans in that state. Mexico's foreign ministry in a statement said that provisions could prompt discrimination and racial profiling, and give rise to hate crimes. "Criminalisation is not the way to resolve the phenomenon of undocumented migration," the ministry said, describing the new measures as driven by xenophobia and white nationalism. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Mexico reacts as Ron DeSantis-backed new Florida laws target illegal immigration

<p>In a significant legal victory for transgender rights, US District Judge Robert Hinkle on Wednesday (June 21) struck down a Florida rule and statute that prohibited state Medicaid payments for transgender healthcare. This marks the second defeat in two weeks for anti-transgender legislation in Florida.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>What the judge said</strong></h2>

<p>Judge Hinkle declared the state's practices invalid, stating that they violated the constitutional right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment, as well as the federal Medicaid statute and the Affordable Care Act's prohibition of sex discrimination.</p>

<p>The ruling, as per Reuters, was not unexpected. Judge Hinkle had already issued a partial block on Florida's ban on gender-affirming care for individuals under 18 on June 6.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/gender-identity-is-real-judge-places-temporary-halts-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-for-transgender-children-601490">'Gender identity is real': Judge temporarily halts Florida law banning gender-affirming care for trans kids</a></strong></p>

<p>In his 54-page ruling, Judge Hinkle emphasised the reality of gender identity. He said that those who oppose transgender existence "tend to disapprove all things transgender and so oppose medical care that supports a person's transgender existence."</p>

<p>He also noted that gender identity is a real aspect of a person's life.</p>

<p>"The elephant in the room should be noted at the outset. Gender identity is real. The record makes this clear," he wrote in his ruling.</p>

<h2><strong>Anti-trans laws and the United States</strong></h2>

<p>Similar laws banning gender-affirming care have been blocked by district court judges in other states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, and Oklahoma.</p>

<p>According to the Human Rights Campaign, Republican lawmakers have however introduced over 500 bills restricting LGBTQ rights during the past legislative year, with more than 70 of them passing into law.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/elon-musks-tweet-on-whatisawoman-fans-twitter-buzz-heres-all-you-need-to-know-600021">Elon Musk's tweet on #WhatIsAWoman fans Twitter buzz. Here's all you need to know</a></strong></p>

<p>So far, 20 states have enacted laws banning gender-affirming care for minors. The sponsors of these laws claim that they aim to protect children who may be misled by parents and doctors and later regret their gender transition.</p>

<h2>Who was behind the lawsuit?</h2>

<p>The plaintiffs in the case included two transgender adults, August Dekker and Brit Rothstein, as well as two transgender minors who filed under pseudonyms.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the opposing side was the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and its secretary, Jason Weida.</p>

<h2><strong>What is Medicaid</strong>?</h2>

<p>Medicaid, as per the US Department of Health and Human Services, &nbsp;is a joint federal and state programme that helps cover medical costs for some people with limited income and resources.</p>

<p>The AHCA had initially approved Medicaid payments for gender-affirming care, but in 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis ordered the agency to conduct a new analysis, which led to a reversal of the decision.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Judge Henkin found that the subsequent process was biased and aimed at justifying a predetermined outcome, rather than conducting a fair analysis of the evidence.&nbsp;As per him, the AHCA "retained only consultants known in advance for their staunch opposition to gender-affirming care."&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

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In a significant legal victory for transgender rights, US District Judge Robert Hinkle on Wednesday (June 21) struck down a Florida rule and statute that prohibited state Medicaid payments for transgender healthcare.

In a significant legal victory for transgender rights, US District Judge Robert Hinkle on Wednesday (June 21) struck down a Florida rule and statute that prohibited state Medicaid payments for transgender healthcare. This marks the second defeat in two weeks for anti-transgender legislation in Florida. What the judge said Judge Hinkle declared the state's practices invalid, stating that they violated the constitutional right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment, as well as the federal Medicaid statute and the Affordable Care Act's prohibition of sex discrimination. The ruling, as per Reuters, was not unexpected. Judge Hinkle had already issued a partial block on Florida's ban on gender-affirming care for individuals under 18 on June 6. Also read | 'Gender identity is real': Judge temporarily halts Florida law banning gender-affirming care for trans kids In his 54-page ruling, Judge Hinkle emphasised the reality of gender identity. He said that those who oppose transgender existence "tend to disapprove all things transgender and so oppose medical care that supports a person's transgender existence." He also noted that gender identity is a real aspect of a person's life. "The elephant in the room should be noted at the outset. Gender identity is real. The record makes this clear," he wrote in his ruling. Anti-trans laws and the United States Similar laws banning gender-affirming care have been blocked by district court judges in other states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, and Oklahoma. According to the Human Rights Campaign, Republican lawmakers have however introduced over 500 bills restricting LGBTQ rights during the past legislative year, with more than 70 of them passing into law. Also read | Also read | Elon Musk's tweet on #WhatIsAWoman fans Twitter buzz. Here's all you need to know So far, 20 states have enacted laws banning gender-affirming care for minors. The sponsors of these laws claim that they aim to protect children who may be misled by parents and doctors and later regret their gender transition. Who was behind the lawsuit? The plaintiffs in the case included two transgender adults, August Dekker and Brit Rothstein, as well as two transgender minors who filed under pseudonyms. On the opposing side was the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and its secretary, Jason Weida. What is Medicaid? Medicaid, as per the US Department of Health and Human Services, is a joint federal and state programme that helps cover medical costs for some people with limited income and resources. The AHCA had initially approved Medicaid payments for gender-affirming care, but in 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis ordered the agency to conduct a new analysis, which led to a reversal of the decision. Judge Henkin found that the subsequent process was biased and aimed at justifying a predetermined outcome, rather than conducting a fair analysis of the evidence. As per him, the AHCA "retained only consultants known in advance for their staunch opposition to gender-affirming care." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Federal judge upholds transgender rights, strikes down Florida's Medicaid ban on healthcare

Republican Ron Desantis spreads AI Deepfakes of Donald Trump and Fauci hugging. Why would Desantis make such a move? Molly Gambhir tells you more.

Gravitas: DeSantis spreads AI Deepfakes showing Trump and Fauci hugging

<p>The race to the White House has gotten murkier. Republican candidate Ron DeSantis has elevated his war of words with&nbsp;opponent Donald Trump to the next level with deepfake technology and AI-generated scandalous images. In a video released by the DeSantis War Room, the former US president can be seen hugging and even kissing&nbsp;the nose of his anathema, the former US chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci.</p>

<h2><strong>Did Trump really kiss Fauci?</strong></h2>

<p>No, these images published by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' rapid response team are fake. They are generated using artificial intelligence technology and are as fake as the photos of Trump being arrested that went viral a couple of months back.</p>

<p>You can see them here:</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/ai-generated-images-of-donald-trumps-arrest-go-viral-take-a-look-574490">AI predicts what Donald Trump's arrest would look like. Take a look at the viral images!</a></strong></p>

<h2><strong>What is the DeSantis War Room video all about?</strong></h2>

<p>The video is a criticism of Trump's failure to fire Fauci, who was the United States' top infectious disease specialist at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, back when he was the president.</p>

<p>Fauci's push for Covid restrictions, as per Reuters, worked to turn him into a "boogeyman" for many Conservatives. Among those criticising Fauci's policies was Trump. In October 2020, the politician went as far as calling Dr Fauci a "disaster" that has been around for "500 years".</p>

<p>However, in spite of the often public thrashing, Trump refrained from firing Fauci.</p>

<h2><strong>Is the video completely fake?</strong></h2>

<p>As per Reuters, the video apparently includes some real footage of the former US president's press conferences and interviews.</p>

<p>However, the fake AI-generated content is shown with impudence at the 25-second mark. Here, around five seconds of the 35-second video display six images of Fauci and Trump. In three of them, the two men can be seen hugging or kissing.</p>

<p>Watch the video here:</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Donald Trump became a household name by FIRING countless people *on television*<br />
<br />
But when it came to Fauci... <a href="https://t.co/7Lxwf75NQm">pic.twitter.com/7Lxwf75NQm</a></p>
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeSantisWarRoom/status/1665799058303188992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<h2><strong>How do we know these images are AI-generated?</strong></h2>

<p>Talking to Reuters, Matthew Stamm, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Drexel University, said that as per an analysis of traces left behind by synthetic image generators, the three images of Trump and Fauci kissing and hugging are likely AI-generated.</p>

<p>"Our results consistently output a decision that these images are fake," he added.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-ai-creates-images-of-world-leaders-as-toddlers-600932" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-ai-creates-images-of-world-leaders-as-toddlers-600932&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjilrOXmbX_AhVfumMGHQRzDssQFnoECAUQAg&amp;usg=AOvVaw2NtfYepZ4k1yjvVYDi8VCy" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-ai-creates-images-of-world-leaders-as-toddlers-600932" target="_blank">In&nbsp;Pics&nbsp;|&nbsp;AI&nbsp;creates&nbsp;images&nbsp;of world leaders as toddlers</a></strong></p>

<h2><strong>Did Trump use AI? Is this retaliation?</strong></h2>

<p>It could be retaliation. Talking to Reuters, a person with knowledge of Ron DeSantis' campaign operation claimed that the Trump side had been "continuously posting fake images and false talking points to smear the (Florida) governor."</p>

<p>As per the news agency, Trump, however, has primarily shared "obviously fake" content that anyone can see isn't real. For instance, he shared an image of DeSantis riding a rhinoceros. This, according to Reuters, was a suggestion that Ron DeSantis is a "Republican in Name Only" (RINO).</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="truthsocial-embed" src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/110475191660845818/embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0" width="1000"></iframe><script src="https://truthsocial.com/embed.js" async="async"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<h2><strong>Why is this problematic?</strong></h2>

<p>The video fails to disclose any potential AI use. While generating someone's AI images for slander purposes is immoral in all scenarios, the use of such images in the campaign of leading candidates makes it even more problematic.</p>

<h2><strong>Are other political campaigns using&nbsp;AI-generated content?</strong></h2>

<p>In the ongoing US Presidential Election race, so far the only high-profile political ad generated by artificial intelligence was by the Republican National Committee. The 30-second ad was released in April. It used fake images to suggest that if President Joe Biden is re-elected, a cataclysmic scenario with China invading Taiwan and San Francisco being shut down due to crime can happen. However, the RNC disclosed that the entire thing was generated using AI.<br />
<br />
<em>(With inputs from agencies)</em><br />
<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>You can <strong>now write for wionews.com</strong> and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.</strong></p>


The race to the White House has gotten murkier. Republican candidate Ron DeSantis has elevated his war of words with opponent Donald Trump to the next level with deepfake technology and AI-generated scandalous images.

The race to the White House has gotten murkier. Republican candidate Ron DeSantis has elevated his war of words with opponent Donald Trump to the next level with deepfake technology and AI-generated scandalous images. In a video released by the DeSantis War Room, the former US president can be seen hugging and even kissing the nose of his anathema, the former US chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci. Did Trump really kiss Fauci? No, these images published by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' rapid response team are fake. They are generated using artificial intelligence technology and are as fake as the photos of Trump being arrested that went viral a couple of months back. You can see them here: Also read | AI predicts what Donald Trump's arrest would look like. Take a look at the viral images! What is the DeSantis War Room video all about? The video is a criticism of Trump's failure to fire Fauci, who was the United States' top infectious disease specialist at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, back when he was the president. Fauci's push for Covid restrictions, as per Reuters, worked to turn him into a "boogeyman" for many Conservatives. Among those criticising Fauci's policies was Trump. In October 2020, the politician went as far as calling Dr Fauci a "disaster" that has been around for "500 years". However, in spite of the often public thrashing, Trump refrained from firing Fauci. Is the video completely fake? As per Reuters, the video apparently includes some real footage of the former US president's press conferences and interviews. However, the fake AI-generated content is shown with impudence at the 25-second mark. Here, around five seconds of the 35-second video display six images of Fauci and Trump. In three of them, the two men can be seen hugging or kissing. Watch the video here: Donald Trump became a household name by FIRING countless people *on television* But when it came to Fauci... pic.twitter.com/7Lxwf75NQm — DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) June 5, 2023 × How do we know these images are AI-generated? Talking to Reuters, Matthew Stamm, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Drexel University, said that as per an analysis of traces left behind by synthetic image generators, the three images of Trump and Fauci kissing and hugging are likely AI-generated. "Our results consistently output a decision that these images are fake," he added. Also read | In Pics | AI creates images of world leaders as toddlers Did Trump use AI? Is this retaliation? It could be retaliation. Talking to Reuters, a person with knowledge of Ron DeSantis' campaign operation claimed that the Trump side had been "continuously posting fake images and false talking points to smear the (Florida) governor." As per the news agency, Trump, however, has primarily shared "obviously fake" content that anyone can see isn't real. For instance, he shared an image of DeSantis riding a rhinoceros. This, according to Reuters, was a suggestion that Ron DeSantis is a "Republican in Name Only" (RINO). × Why is this problematic? The video fails to disclose any potential AI use. While generating someone's AI images for slander purposes is immoral in all scenarios, the use of such images in the campaign of leading candidates makes it even more problematic. Are other political campaigns using AI-generated content? In the ongoing US Presidential Election race, so far the only high-profile political ad generated by artificial intelligence was by the Republican National Committee. The 30-second ad was released in April. It used fake images to suggest that if President Joe Biden is re-elected, a cataclysmic scenario with China invading Taiwan and San Francisco being shut down due to crime can happen. However, the RNC disclosed that the entire thing was generated using AI. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Did Trump kiss Fauci? Ron DeSantis ups the ante with AI-generated fake images of two men

Unfortunately, immigrants in the United States have turned into pawns; in fact, they have always been used as pawns. These are the people who were dragged out of their countries only to be pushed around inside the country for political games that are played. Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor for the past five years, is at the centre of the problem.

US: Migrants fall prey to differences between Newsom and DeSantis

California Governor Gavin Newsom appeared to threaten his Florida counterpart Ron DeSantis with kidnapping charges Monday, over migrant flights. WION tells you more in this report.

Gavin Newsom threatens Ron DeSantis with kidnapping charges

As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fights the lawsuits with what critics have described as a blank check from the state's supermajority Republican legislature, the mounting legal costs have come heavily at the expense of Florida’s taxpayers. WION tells you more in this report.

Florida Governor DeSantis criticised for wasting taxpayers' money

<p>Equating being "woke" to a "form of cultural Marxism" Florida governor&nbsp;Ron DeSantis has provided the world with his definition of the widely controversial word.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Recently, former US president Donald Trump remarked that he does not like the word "woke" because "half the people can't even define it". Building up on that, an NBC correspondent asked DeSantis for his definition of the word.</p>

<p>Speaking at the sidelines of his Iowa campaign stop, the governor, who himself is often at the centre of controversies, said that the controversial term 'woke' is "basically a war on the truth".</p>

<p>The Florida governor is a Republican contender in the race for the White House. Alongside other major Republicans like Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, he is running in the next year's US Presidential Elections.</p>

<h2><strong>Ron DeSantis' definition of "Woke"</strong></h2>

<p>As per The Hill, Desantis said: "Look, we know what woke is, it's a form of cultural Marxism."</p>

<p>"It's about putting merit and achievement behind identity politics, and it's basically a war on the truth. And as that has infected institutions, and it has corrupted institutions."</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nikki-haley-republican-presidential-candidate-criticises-trump-and-desantis-on-ukraine-war-600681">Presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticises fellow Republicans Trump and DeSantis over Ukraine war</a></strong></p>

<p>He further rallied the people and exclaimed that "you've got to be willing to fight the woke," adding that they have "done that in Florida, and we proudly consider ourselves the state where woke goes to die."</p>

<h2><strong>What did Trump say?</strong></h2>

<p>At the Westside Conservative Breakfast in Urbandale, Trump said that he didn't like the term "woke" because "half the people can’t even define it."</p>

<p>"I don't like the term 'woke' because I hear, 'Woke, woke, woke.' It's just a term they use, half the people can't even define it, they don’t know what it is," Trump said.</p>

<h2><strong>DeSantis' history with 'wokeness'</strong></h2>

<p>In recent years, DeSantis has adopted the idea of "wokeness" in his career and campaign.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Notoriously against the woke, he even established a law known as the "Stop WOKE Act".&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/its-not-just-trump-vs-biden-these-are-the-contenders-in-2024-united-states-presidential-election-race-595746">It's not just Trump vs Biden, these are the contenders in 2024 United States presidential election race</a></strong></p>

<p>Here WOKE stands for "Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees," and the law as per The Hill is designed to combat "woke indoctrination" by businesses and schools in Florida.</p>

<p>The law prohibits instruction that could make anyone feel like they bear "personal responsibility" for historic wrongdoings because of their race, sex, religion or national origin.</p>

<p>However, the law faced challenges in the court. A federal judge blocked parts of the law saying that they infringe on and violate people's First Amendment rights of free speech and the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause for being impermissibly vague. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

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<p>You can <strong>now write for wionews.com</strong> and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.</strong></p>


Equating being "woke" to a "form of cultural Marxism" Florida governor Ron DeSantis has provided the world with his definition of the widely controversial word. Recently, former US president Donald Trump remarked that he does not like the word "woke" because "half the people can't even define it".

Equating being "woke" to a "form of cultural Marxism" Florida governor Ron DeSantis has provided the world with his definition of the widely controversial word. Recently, former US president Donald Trump remarked that he does not like the word "woke" because "half the people can't even define it". Building up on that, an NBC correspondent asked DeSantis for his definition of the word. Speaking at the sidelines of his Iowa campaign stop, the governor, who himself is often at the centre of controversies, said that the controversial term 'woke' is "basically a war on the truth". The Florida governor is a Republican contender in the race for the White House. Alongside other major Republicans like Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, he is running in the next year's US Presidential Elections. Ron DeSantis' definition of "Woke" As per The Hill, Desantis said: "Look, we know what woke is, it's a form of cultural Marxism." "It's about putting merit and achievement behind identity politics, and it's basically a war on the truth. And as that has infected institutions, and it has corrupted institutions." Also read | Presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticises fellow Republicans Trump and DeSantis over Ukraine war He further rallied the people and exclaimed that "you've got to be willing to fight the woke," adding that they have "done that in Florida, and we proudly consider ourselves the state where woke goes to die." What did Trump say? At the Westside Conservative Breakfast in Urbandale, Trump said that he didn't like the term "woke" because "half the people can’t even define it." "I don't like the term 'woke' because I hear, 'Woke, woke, woke.' It's just a term they use, half the people can't even define it, they don’t know what it is," Trump said. DeSantis' history with 'wokeness' In recent years, DeSantis has adopted the idea of "wokeness" in his career and campaign. Notoriously against the woke, he even established a law known as the "Stop WOKE Act". Also read | It's not just Trump vs Biden, these are the contenders in 2024 United States presidential election race Here WOKE stands for "Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees," and the law as per The Hill is designed to combat "woke indoctrination" by businesses and schools in Florida. The law prohibits instruction that could make anyone feel like they bear "personal responsibility" for historic wrongdoings because of their race, sex, religion or national origin. However, the law faced challenges in the court. A federal judge blocked parts of the law saying that they infringe on and violate people's First Amendment rights of free speech and the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause for being impermissibly vague. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

US Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis equates 'woke' to 'form of cultural Marxism'

<p>Nikki Haley, a Republican candidate in the race for the US White House, has criticised her two contenders, former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for their stance on Ukraine's conflict with Russia.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Haley, who previously served as the UN ambassador under Trump, took issue with their refusal to express a clear position on whether they want Ukraine to succeed in its war against Russia.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>What is their stand?</strong></h2>

<p>In a recent statement, Trump stated that he wanted the war to end and that he would assist in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.</p>

<p>DeSantis too has expressed his support for a settlement to the war and said he hoped for an end to the fighting by the time he becomes the president in January 2025.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Haley, during a CNN town hall event in Iowa, criticized DeSantis for referring to the conflict as a "territorial dispute," a statement he has since retracted.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-defence-minister-says-war-with-us-would-be-unbearable-disaster-seeks-dialogue-600646">Chinese defence minister says war with US would be 'unbearable disaster', seeks dialogue</a></strong></p>

<p>"For them to sit there and say that this is a territorial dispute - that's just not the case, or to say that we should stay neutral," she told voters.</p>

<p>She argued that it is in the best interest of national security for Ukraine to win the conflict. The issue of Ukraine tends to divide Republicans due to varying positions on isolationism among primary voters.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Republican contenders</strong></h2>

<p>In the upcoming elections the number of Republican contenders will this week reach double digits, reports Reuters.</p>

<p>Despite being among the Republican contenders, Haley faces strong competition from Trump, who leads the field with 49 per cent support, and DeSantis, who follows with 19 per cent support in Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll conducted in May.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>The race for White House</strong></h2>

<p>As per Reuters, Haley and other candidates polling in the single digits are attempting to differentiate themselves from DeSantis in the hopes that he stumbles, allowing them to emerge as the primary alternative to Trump.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Some candidates, including Haley, have also started criticising Trump directly, a departure from their previous reluctance to do so out of fear of alienating his loyal supporters.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/109-navalny-supporters-including-underage-child-arrested-by-russian-police-600624">Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's 109 supporters, including underage child arrested by Russian police</a></strong></p>

<p>Haley also reportedly criticised Trump for congratulating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after the country was elected to the executive board of the World Health Organization, calling Kim a "thug" and expressing opposition to congratulating dictators.&nbsp;</p>

<p>DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence also criticised Trump for congratulating Kim during separate events in Iowa.</p>


Nikki Haley, a Republican candidate in the race for the US White House, has criticised her two contenders, former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for their stance on Ukraine's conflict with Russia.

Nikki Haley, a Republican candidate in the race for the US White House, has criticised her two contenders, former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for their stance on Ukraine's conflict with Russia. Haley, who previously served as the UN ambassador under Trump, took issue with their refusal to express a clear position on whether they want Ukraine to succeed in its war against Russia. What is their stand? In a recent statement, Trump stated that he wanted the war to end and that he would assist in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. DeSantis too has expressed his support for a settlement to the war and said he hoped for an end to the fighting by the time he becomes the president in January 2025. Haley, during a CNN town hall event in Iowa, criticized DeSantis for referring to the conflict as a "territorial dispute," a statement he has since retracted. Also read | Chinese defence minister says war with US would be 'unbearable disaster', seeks dialogue "For them to sit there and say that this is a territorial dispute - that's just not the case, or to say that we should stay neutral," she told voters. She argued that it is in the best interest of national security for Ukraine to win the conflict. The issue of Ukraine tends to divide Republicans due to varying positions on isolationism among primary voters. Republican contenders In the upcoming elections the number of Republican contenders will this week reach double digits, reports Reuters. Despite being among the Republican contenders, Haley faces strong competition from Trump, who leads the field with 49 per cent support, and DeSantis, who follows with 19 per cent support in Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll conducted in May. The race for White House As per Reuters, Haley and other candidates polling in the single digits are attempting to differentiate themselves from DeSantis in the hopes that he stumbles, allowing them to emerge as the primary alternative to Trump. Some candidates, including Haley, have also started criticising Trump directly, a departure from their previous reluctance to do so out of fear of alienating his loyal supporters. Also read | Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's 109 supporters, including underage child arrested by Russian police Haley also reportedly criticised Trump for congratulating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after the country was elected to the executive board of the World Health Organization, calling Kim a "thug" and expressing opposition to congratulating dictators. DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence also criticised Trump for congratulating Kim during separate events in Iowa.

Presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticises fellow Republicans Trump and DeSantis over Ukraine war

While the Florida governor travels to campaign for the 2024 presidential elections, trouble is brewing in his home state. Residents there have taken to the streets to protest an immigration bill. Thousands of blue-collar workers are protesting a new anti-illegal immigration bill that will be effective starting on July 1st, according to reports. The Senate bills signed by DeSantis aim to introduce stringent measures to deter immigration.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis signs controversial immigration bill

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<p>The long-expected duel between Republican presidential nomination hopefuls Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis has gone into overdrive&nbsp;a little more than a week after the latter announced his candidature. The former president during a campaign pitstop in Iowa called out DeSantis for not taking questions from the public.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Addressing 200-odd members of a conservative club, Trump said they could ask him questions - an offer that his rival DeSantis did not provide to the audience.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“A lot of politicians don’t take questions. They give a speech,” said Trump amid a sea of supporters wearing the red “Make America Great Again” hats.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Trump's attacks continued as he pushed back against DeSantis’ argument that it will take two terms in the White House to implement an agenda.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“When he says eight years, every time I hear it I wince, because I say if it takes eight years to turn this around, then you don’t want him, you don’t want him as your president,” said Trump</p>

<p>“It’ll take me six months to have it totally the way it was, we’ll have it fast.”</p>

<h2><strong>DeSantis quizzed about no Q&amp;As</strong></h2>

<p>Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, DeSantis, when confronted&nbsp;by&nbsp;a reporter about why he didn't engage the audience in a Q&amp;A session, gave a frustrated answer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“People are coming up to me, talking to me. What are you talking about? Are you blind?” he said. “Are you blind? People are coming up to me, talking to me whatever they want to talk to me about.”</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/desantis-signals-start-of-slugfest-with-donald-trump-rivalry-intensifies-599474" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH | DeSantis signals start of slugfest with Donald Trump | Rivalry intensifies</strong></a></p>

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<p>However, a similar sentiment was not echoed by the attendees who said they were disappointed by DeSantis for not taking questions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“This is New Hampshire. The reality here is the vast majority of political people in New Hampshire, we do our due diligence. We want to know where these people stand. And a lot of that is hearing from them and then asking them questions," Alan Glassman, treasurer of the state GOP was quoted as saying by the AP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“I’m just hoping that next time the governor does show up here, he’ll actually be doing some more interaction with the people,” he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, DeSantis managed to return some of the favour to Trump by asking what the former president had done in his previous stint in the White House.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Anyone who says they can slay the deep state in six months should be asked, ‘Why didn’t you do that when you had four years?’”&nbsp;</p>

<p>DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign last week, vowing to lead Americans into a new era of success and fight for their freedoms. Within the GOP, despite Trump's larger-than-life image, DeSantis remains the best hope for anti-Trump forces.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-is-ron-desantis-all-you-need-to-know-about-republican-leader-seeking-prez-nomination-595578" target="_blank"><strong>ALSO READ | Who is Ron DeSantis? All you need to know about Republican leader who joined White House race</strong></a></p>

<p>Trump has previously attacked the Florida governor by calling him 'meatball Ron', 'Ron DeSanctimonious' whilst implying that DeSantis may be hit with sexual assault allegations from both men and women.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;</strong></p>

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The long-expected duel between Republican presidential nomination hopefuls Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis has gone into overdrive a little more than a week after the latter announced his candidature.

The long-expected duel between Republican presidential nomination hopefuls Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis has gone into overdrive a little more than a week after the latter announced his candidature. The former president during a campaign pitstop in Iowa called out DeSantis for not taking questions from the public. Addressing 200-odd members of a conservative club, Trump said they could ask him questions - an offer that his rival DeSantis did not provide to the audience. “A lot of politicians don’t take questions. They give a speech,” said Trump amid a sea of supporters wearing the red “Make America Great Again” hats. Trump's attacks continued as he pushed back against DeSantis’ argument that it will take two terms in the White House to implement an agenda. “When he says eight years, every time I hear it I wince, because I say if it takes eight years to turn this around, then you don’t want him, you don’t want him as your president,” said Trump “It’ll take me six months to have it totally the way it was, we’ll have it fast.” DeSantis quizzed about no Q&As Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, DeSantis, when confronted by a reporter about why he didn't engage the audience in a Q&A session, gave a frustrated answer. “People are coming up to me, talking to me. What are you talking about? Are you blind?” he said. “Are you blind? People are coming up to me, talking to me whatever they want to talk to me about.” WATCH | DeSantis signals start of slugfest with Donald Trump | Rivalry intensifies × However, a similar sentiment was not echoed by the attendees who said they were disappointed by DeSantis for not taking questions. “This is New Hampshire. The reality here is the vast majority of political people in New Hampshire, we do our due diligence. We want to know where these people stand. And a lot of that is hearing from them and then asking them questions," Alan Glassman, treasurer of the state GOP was quoted as saying by the AP. “I’m just hoping that next time the governor does show up here, he’ll actually be doing some more interaction with the people,” he added. However, DeSantis managed to return some of the favour to Trump by asking what the former president had done in his previous stint in the White House. "Anyone who says they can slay the deep state in six months should be asked, ‘Why didn’t you do that when you had four years?’” DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign last week, vowing to lead Americans into a new era of success and fight for their freedoms. Within the GOP, despite Trump's larger-than-life image, DeSantis remains the best hope for anti-Trump forces. ALSO READ | Who is Ron DeSantis? All you need to know about Republican leader who joined White House race Trump has previously attacked the Florida governor by calling him 'meatball Ron', 'Ron DeSanctimonious' whilst implying that DeSantis may be hit with sexual assault allegations from both men and women. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

War of words intensifies between Trump, DeSantis as they hit the trail

Next year's election will mark America's 60th presidential contest. Donald Trump is the clear frontrunner in an increasingly crowded field seeking the republican presidential nomination. Florida governor Ron DeSantis jumped into the contest last week and is viewed as the most formidable challenger to twice-impeached trump. As the race for the white house heats up, DeSantis has signalled the start of a slugfest with trump. Former president Trump has swept all before him in the early stages of the contest. DeSantis has distanced himself from Trump, his erstwhile mentor. Desantis faces the daunting task of closing the gap with trump. However, he is the only other republican candidate with double-digit support in early polls. Analysts are warning against counting DeSantis out, pointing to his popularity among the suburban women, who see trump as toxic. He also enjoys the status of a winner, something trump has not been able to claim since his 2020 defeat to Biden

Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis rivalry intensifies | DeSantis has distanced himself from Trump

Next year's election will mark America's 60th presidential contest. Donald Trump is the clear frontrunner in an increasingly crowded field seeking the republican presidential nomination. Florida governor Ron DeSantis jumped into the contest last week and is viewed as the most formidable challenger to twice-impeached trump. As the race for the white house heats up, DeSantis has signalled the start of a slugfest with trump. Former president Trump has swept all before him in the early stages of the contest. DeSantis has distanced himself from Trump, his erstwhile mentor. Desantis faces the daunting task of closing the gap with trump. However, he is the only other republican candidate with double-digit support in early polls. Analysts are warning against counting DeSantis out, pointing to his popularity among the suburban women, who see trump as toxic. He also enjoys the status of a winner, something trump has not been able to claim since his 2020 defeat to Biden.

DeSantis signals start of slugfest with Donald Trump | Rivalry intensifies

<p>The Twitter Spaces team, which formerly had as many as 100 employees, has been reduced to "roughly three" individuals, as per an IANS report. The revelation&nbsp;comes after&nbsp;the technical "fiasco" during Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' 2024 US presidential election bid announcement on the social media platform this week.</p>

<p>The Spaces team has been functioning without the majority of the "institutional knowledge it accumulated since Twitter added live audio conversations in 2021 to compete with then-hot Clubhouse," reported the&nbsp;Platformer.</p>

<p>"Practically no one remaining knows the current architecture in depth," one person wrote on a pseudonymous employee forum called Blind, reported the Business Standard.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Twitter Spaces crashed several times&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>The highly touted discussion between Ron DeSantis and Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces did not go as planned, as the social networking platform failed many times, ruining the announcement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>About 678,000 people tuned in to listen but Twitter crashed repeatedly, and Musk blamed it&nbsp;on the large number of listeners.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Spaces session was ultimately restarted, with around 304,000 listeners.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Wednesday, David Sacks, a venture capitalist and personal friend of Musk, sought to kick off the gathering. "We've got so many people here that I think we're kind of melting the servers," he explained.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bryan Gryphon, DeSantis' campaign spokesman, stated on Twitter that the passion for DeSantis had "literally busted up the internet" and that the campaign had raised $1 million in an hour.</p>

<p>The hour-long interview on Twitter was aired without sound for significant sections of time, and thousands of individuals were either dropped or could not participate.</p>

<p>Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, who was hosting the chat, blamed the outages on servers not having enough capacity to handle the large number of individuals wanting to tune in.</p>

<p>Post launching another&nbsp;Spaces from the Twitter account of entrepreneur David Sacks, Musk apologised and said, “I think we’re definitely breaking new ground here. As far as I know, no major presidential candidate has ever announced candidacy on social media this way. So thank you for doing that.”</p>

<p>DeSantis will challenge Trump for the Republican nomination. However, he may have difficulties in the near future since he trails the former president in recent polls. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Musk stated a day before the formal declaration that they would be interviewing DeSantis because he has "quite an announcement to make," and that this will be the first time something like this has happened on social media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Musk stated that he will not back any one candidate at this time, but he is "interested in X/Twitter being somewhat of a public town square."&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Twitter owner also stated that the real-time queries and answers will not be "scripted".&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:</strong></p>

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The Twitter Spaces team, which formerly had as many as 100 employees, has been reduced to "roughly three" individuals, as per an IANS report. The revelation comes after the technical "fiasco" during Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' 2024 US presidential election bid announcement on the social media platform this week.

The Twitter Spaces team, which formerly had as many as 100 employees, has been reduced to "roughly three" individuals, as per an IANS report. The revelation comes after the technical "fiasco" during Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' 2024 US presidential election bid announcement on the social media platform this week. The Spaces team has been functioning without the majority of the "institutional knowledge it accumulated since Twitter added live audio conversations in 2021 to compete with then-hot Clubhouse," reported the Platformer. "Practically no one remaining knows the current architecture in depth," one person wrote on a pseudonymous employee forum called Blind, reported the Business Standard. Twitter Spaces crashed several times The highly touted discussion between Ron DeSantis and Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces did not go as planned, as the social networking platform failed many times, ruining the announcement. About 678,000 people tuned in to listen but Twitter crashed repeatedly, and Musk blamed it on the large number of listeners. The Spaces session was ultimately restarted, with around 304,000 listeners. On Wednesday, David Sacks, a venture capitalist and personal friend of Musk, sought to kick off the gathering. "We've got so many people here that I think we're kind of melting the servers," he explained. Bryan Gryphon, DeSantis' campaign spokesman, stated on Twitter that the passion for DeSantis had "literally busted up the internet" and that the campaign had raised $1 million in an hour. The hour-long interview on Twitter was aired without sound for significant sections of time, and thousands of individuals were either dropped or could not participate. Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, who was hosting the chat, blamed the outages on servers not having enough capacity to handle the large number of individuals wanting to tune in. Post launching another Spaces from the Twitter account of entrepreneur David Sacks, Musk apologised and said, “I think we’re definitely breaking new ground here. As far as I know, no major presidential candidate has ever announced candidacy on social media this way. So thank you for doing that.” DeSantis will challenge Trump for the Republican nomination. However, he may have difficulties in the near future since he trails the former president in recent polls. Musk stated a day before the formal declaration that they would be interviewing DeSantis because he has "quite an announcement to make," and that this will be the first time something like this has happened on social media. Musk stated that he will not back any one candidate at this time, but he is "interested in X/Twitter being somewhat of a public town square." The Twitter owner also stated that the real-time queries and answers will not be "scripted". WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Twitter Spaces team downsized from 100 to just three after DeSantis tech fiasco: Report

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<p>A day after Donald Trump claimed that 'even' former New York governor Andrew Cuomo handled the coronavirus pandemic better than California Governor Ron DeSantis, the latter has hit back.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>DeSantis ripped into Trump by saying the claim was "very bizarre" as Cuomo was involved in the infamous nursing home scandal.</p>

<p>“First of all, Florida had less excess mortality than California or New York. Part of that is because states like California had excess mortality derived from the lockdown policy, which is really, really avoidable mortality," said DeSantis in an interview with&nbsp;<em>The Daily Wire's</em>&nbsp;Ben Shapiro.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“But if he thinks Cuomo handled it better, that’s an indication if something like this were to happen again, he would double down and do what he did in March of 2020,” he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We all have to sit here today in 2023, look back on March of 2020 and say, 'Faucism was wrong. Faucism was destructive. Faucism has set us on this path with the CARES Act and the Fed printing money, creating inflation, and creating some of the economic problems that we have today."</p>

<p>"So, if you could do it again, would he do the same thing?" DeSantis added. "I sure hope not."</p>

<p>On Thursday, in an election video campaign, Trump said Florida had one of the highest numbers of deaths from COVID-19 in the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“How about the fact that he had the third most deaths of any state having to do with the China virus or COVID? Even Cuomo did better, he was number four,” Trump claimed.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, DeSantis turned the tide when he asked if Trump would have doubled down on Cuomo's plan if he was given a do-over. During the early stages of the pandemic in March 2020, the democrat leader issued a highly troublesome executive order that forced nursing homes to admit COVID-19 patients so that hospital space could be freed and numbers not look catastrophic.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, the move severely backfired as the senior citizens - termed the most vulnerable due to the virus, contracted it and died en masse. The policy remained in effect till May 10 before it was quietly withdrawn but not before it had caused the damage.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to a study by Empire Centre for Public Policy, Cuomo's policy was possibly responsible for more than '1,000 death' as it allowed COVID-19 to spread among vulnerable seniors.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The New York State Health Department in a scathing report found that Cuomo had 'misled the public' and reported less death to save his image.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“While the Department’s duty is to act solely to promote public health, we determined that, rather than providing accurate and reliable information during a public health emergency, the Department instead conformed its presentation to the Executive’s narrative, often presenting data in a manner that misled the public,” read the report.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ron-desantis-presidential-bid-2024-how-elon-musk-made-it-all-about-twitter-world-news-wion-596324"><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;Ron DeSantis' Presidential Bid 2024: How Elon Musk made it all about Twitter | World News | WION</strong></a></p>

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<h2><strong>DeSantis joins White House race</strong></h2>

<p>The tussle between DeSantis and Trump is expected to grow after the Florida governor announced his presidential nomination candidature earlier this week.&nbsp;</p>

<p>DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign, vowing to lead Americans into a new era of success and fight for their freedoms. Within the GOP, despite Trump's larger-than-life image, DeSantis remains the best hope for anti-Trump forces.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-is-ron-desantis-all-you-need-to-know-about-republican-leader-seeking-prez-nomination-595578"><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;Who is Ron DeSantis? All you need to know about Republican leader who joined White House race</strong></a></p>

<p>Many within the GOP, in hushed voices, say they are not confident that Trump is the right person to usher in the new Republican era. There is a clear consensus that DeSantis will be a far better and more effective branch leader.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;</strong></p>

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A day after Donald Trump claimed that 'even' former New York governor Andrew Cuomo handled the coronavirus pandemic better than California Governor Ron DeSantis, the latter has hit back.

A day after Donald Trump claimed that 'even' former New York governor Andrew Cuomo handled the coronavirus pandemic better than California Governor Ron DeSantis, the latter has hit back. DeSantis ripped into Trump by saying the claim was "very bizarre" as Cuomo was involved in the infamous nursing home scandal. “First of all, Florida had less excess mortality than California or New York. Part of that is because states like California had excess mortality derived from the lockdown policy, which is really, really avoidable mortality," said DeSantis in an interview with The Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro. “But if he thinks Cuomo handled it better, that’s an indication if something like this were to happen again, he would double down and do what he did in March of 2020,” he added. "We all have to sit here today in 2023, look back on March of 2020 and say, 'Faucism was wrong. Faucism was destructive. Faucism has set us on this path with the CARES Act and the Fed printing money, creating inflation, and creating some of the economic problems that we have today." "So, if you could do it again, would he do the same thing?" DeSantis added. "I sure hope not." On Thursday, in an election video campaign, Trump said Florida had one of the highest numbers of deaths from COVID-19 in the country. “How about the fact that he had the third most deaths of any state having to do with the China virus or COVID? Even Cuomo did better, he was number four,” Trump claimed. However, DeSantis turned the tide when he asked if Trump would have doubled down on Cuomo's plan if he was given a do-over. During the early stages of the pandemic in March 2020, the democrat leader issued a highly troublesome executive order that forced nursing homes to admit COVID-19 patients so that hospital space could be freed and numbers not look catastrophic. However, the move severely backfired as the senior citizens - termed the most vulnerable due to the virus, contracted it and died en masse. The policy remained in effect till May 10 before it was quietly withdrawn but not before it had caused the damage. According to a study by Empire Centre for Public Policy, Cuomo's policy was possibly responsible for more than '1,000 death' as it allowed COVID-19 to spread among vulnerable seniors. The New York State Health Department in a scathing report found that Cuomo had 'misled the public' and reported less death to save his image. “While the Department’s duty is to act solely to promote public health, we determined that, rather than providing accurate and reliable information during a public health emergency, the Department instead conformed its presentation to the Executive’s narrative, often presenting data in a manner that misled the public,” read the report. WATCH | Ron DeSantis' Presidential Bid 2024: How Elon Musk made it all about Twitter | World News | WION × DeSantis joins White House race The tussle between DeSantis and Trump is expected to grow after the Florida governor announced his presidential nomination candidature earlier this week. DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign, vowing to lead Americans into a new era of success and fight for their freedoms. Within the GOP, despite Trump's larger-than-life image, DeSantis remains the best hope for anti-Trump forces. ALSO READ | Who is Ron DeSantis? All you need to know about Republican leader who joined White House race Many within the GOP, in hushed voices, say they are not confident that Trump is the right person to usher in the new Republican era. There is a clear consensus that DeSantis will be a far better and more effective branch leader. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

DeSantis calls Trump's claims 'bizarre' as war of words between prez nomination seekers heats up

<p>Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hauled $8.2 million in fundraising in the first 24 hours after he announced his candidacy for the presidential elections, confirmed his campaign to Fox News on Thursday.<br />
<br />
The Republican's blockbuster fundraising is a move by his election campaign to showcase the strength and enthusiasm that people have for DeSantis as he steps into GOP 2024 nomination race where United States former president Donald Trump has been the clear front-runner, as per the latest polling.<br />
<br />
The money raised by the Republican has topped the previous record of $6.3 million which was hauled by President Joe Biden when he was a White House candidate in the first 24 hours after the launch of his campaign in 2019.<br />
<br />
The fundraising by DeSantis includes online contributions along with funds brought in by bundlers who had gathered at a DeSantis donor summit held in Miami, Florida on Thursday.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/failure-to-launch-internet-trolls-desantis-after-glitchy-presidential-campaign-twitter-space-596417">'#DeSaster': Internet trolls DeSantis after glitchy campaign launch on Twitter Spaces</a></p>

<h2><br />
<strong>Republicans uniting for DeSantis</strong></h2>

<p>"This historic fundraising haul shows that grassroots Republicans across the country are uniting behind Governor DeSantis’ vision for our Great American Comeback," said campaign manager Generra Peck, in a statement.<br />
<br />
Speaking to Fox News, prominent Republican donor and bundler and oil drilling chief executive officer Dan Eberhart said, "That's an enormous haul for the first 24 hours and shows that there are thousands of donors big and small behind the governor."<br />
<br />
Eberhart, who is extending his support to DeSantis, attended the Miami donor gathering.<br />
<br />
Speaking about the donor gathering, Eberhart said, "I think there are a bunch of donors waiting to get off the sidelines, waiting for DeSantis to enter. I expect there to be a coalescing of conservative donors around Ron DeSantis."<br />
<br />
Eberhart contributed $100,000 to the Miami donor gathering.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;Twitter crashes as Ron DeSantis launches 2024 US Presidential bid</strong></p>

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<h2><strong>DeSantis' presidential candidacy</strong></h2>

<p>On Wednesday, DeSantis announced his candidacy for president in a campaign launch video, which was followed by the glitched appearance of DeSantis on Twitter with Elon Musk, where the Republican launched his 2024 campaign.<br />
<br />
The campaign of DeSantis soon termed the severe glitches as a "break the internet" moment because of intense interest during its launch.<br />
<br />
However, Trump and his allies called the episode an embarrassing flop. The former president also shared a video on his Truth Social outlet, in which a rocket was seen crashing and exploding with the caption "Ron! 2024."<br />
<br />
In a statement, Trump's spokesperson said that "Ron DeSantis can't run away from his disastrous, embarrassing, and low-energy campaign announcement."<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hauled $8.2 million in fundraising in the first 24 hours after he announced his candidacy for the presidential elections, confirmed his campaign to Fox News on Thursday.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hauled $8.2 million in fundraising in the first 24 hours after he announced his candidacy for the presidential elections, confirmed his campaign to Fox News on Thursday. The Republican's blockbuster fundraising is a move by his election campaign to showcase the strength and enthusiasm that people have for DeSantis as he steps into GOP 2024 nomination race where United States former president Donald Trump has been the clear front-runner, as per the latest polling. The money raised by the Republican has topped the previous record of $6.3 million which was hauled by President Joe Biden when he was a White House candidate in the first 24 hours after the launch of his campaign in 2019. The fundraising by DeSantis includes online contributions along with funds brought in by bundlers who had gathered at a DeSantis donor summit held in Miami, Florida on Thursday. ALSO READ | '#DeSaster': Internet trolls DeSantis after glitchy campaign launch on Twitter Spaces Republicans uniting for DeSantis "This historic fundraising haul shows that grassroots Republicans across the country are uniting behind Governor DeSantis’ vision for our Great American Comeback," said campaign manager Generra Peck, in a statement. Speaking to Fox News, prominent Republican donor and bundler and oil drilling chief executive officer Dan Eberhart said, "That's an enormous haul for the first 24 hours and shows that there are thousands of donors big and small behind the governor." Eberhart, who is extending his support to DeSantis, attended the Miami donor gathering. Speaking about the donor gathering, Eberhart said, "I think there are a bunch of donors waiting to get off the sidelines, waiting for DeSantis to enter. I expect there to be a coalescing of conservative donors around Ron DeSantis." Eberhart contributed $100,000 to the Miami donor gathering. WATCH | Twitter crashes as Ron DeSantis launches 2024 US Presidential bid DeSantis' presidential candidacy On Wednesday, DeSantis announced his candidacy for president in a campaign launch video, which was followed by the glitched appearance of DeSantis on Twitter with Elon Musk, where the Republican launched his 2024 campaign. The campaign of DeSantis soon termed the severe glitches as a "break the internet" moment because of intense interest during its launch. However, Trump and his allies called the episode an embarrassing flop. The former president also shared a video on his Truth Social outlet, in which a rocket was seen crashing and exploding with the caption "Ron! 2024." In a statement, Trump's spokesperson said that "Ron DeSantis can't run away from his disastrous, embarrassing, and low-energy campaign announcement." You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Ron DeSantis hauls in $8.2 mn in fundraising in first 24 hours

<p>Donald Trump Jr accidentally insulted his father by calling him a “mortician” in an apparent goof-up while slamming his rival Ron DeSantis, whose presidential campaign announcement on Twitter Spaces was marred with tech glitches.</p>

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<p dir="ltr">A mortician means a person whose job is to prepare dead people to be buried and to arrange and manage funerals, or an undertaker.</p>

<p dir="ltr">“Trump has the charisma of a mortician and the energy that makes Jeb Bush look like an Olympian,” Trump Jr said on his online show, Triggered With Don Jr, on video platform Rumble on Thursday night.</p>

<p dir="ltr">But instead of correcting himself, he then continued after a brief pause, “The policies of a DC swamp rat because we’ve seen … the flip-flops, right?”</p>

<p dir="ltr">Jeb Bush was a former governor of Florida and party establishment favourite when Donal Trump Sr won the Republican primary in 2016.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Trump’s eldest son mocked DeSantis by playing an audio clip of what he claimed was “8 minutes of silence” during the Florida governor’s campaign launch and echoed his father’s description of it as a “DeSaster”.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Junior goes on a rant that is supposed to be about Desantis, but he misreads his script:<br />
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“Trump has the personality of a mortician, and the energy that makes Jeb Bush look an Olympian.” <a href="https://t.co/iOdUbTQLyS">pic.twitter.com/iOdUbTQLyS</a></p>
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1661883521546481666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>“It was a hashtag disaster. It took a long time for Elon Musk to barely figure out how and what was going on. It took two charismatic billionaires like Elon Musk and David Sacks to carry DeSantis through this where he basically read an op-ed about what he is gonna do,” he said.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Trump Jr continued his tirade by making snide remarks against Desantis saying that he had a “sort of nasally and effeminate … voice”.</p>

<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>Gaffe draws million of views and ridicule</strong></h2>

<p dir="ltr">As expected, the clip of his slip-of-the-tongue moment went viral, receiving over a million views and triggering a trolling spree.</p>

<p dir="ltr">“Someone needs to tell him he got it all wrong if he’s trying to hype his father,” a Twitter user said.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Another user Allene Lewis quipped: “This is rich! For the first time in Donny He’s life he spoke truth about daddy.</p>

<p dir="ltr">“It was that extra bump that Jr did right before recording this,” one said.</p>

<p dir="ltr">DeSantis announced his candidacy for president in a campaign launch video on Wednesday, on Twitter Spaces.</p>

<p dir="ltr">The campaign was soon saw severe glitches as a "break the internet" moment because of intense interest during its launch.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Trump and his allies called the episode an embarrassing flop. The former president also shared a video on his Truth Social outlet, in which a rocket was seen crashing and exploding with the caption "Ron! 2024."</p>

<p dir="ltr">(With inputs from agencies)</p>

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Donald Trump Jr accidentally insulted his father by calling him a “mortician” in an apparent goof-up while slamming his rival Ron DeSantis, whose presidential campaign announcement on Twitter Spaces was marred with tech glitches.

Donald Trump Jr accidentally insulted his father by calling him a “mortician” in an apparent goof-up while slamming his rival Ron DeSantis, whose presidential campaign announcement on Twitter Spaces was marred with tech glitches. A mortician means a person whose job is to prepare dead people to be buried and to arrange and manage funerals, or an undertaker. “Trump has the charisma of a mortician and the energy that makes Jeb Bush look like an Olympian,” Trump Jr said on his online show, Triggered With Don Jr, on video platform Rumble on Thursday night. But instead of correcting himself, he then continued after a brief pause, “The policies of a DC swamp rat because we’ve seen … the flip-flops, right?” Jeb Bush was a former governor of Florida and party establishment favourite when Donal Trump Sr won the Republican primary in 2016. Trump’s eldest son mocked DeSantis by playing an audio clip of what he claimed was “8 minutes of silence” during the Florida governor’s campaign launch and echoed his father’s description of it as a “DeSaster”. Junior goes on a rant that is supposed to be about Desantis, but he misreads his script: “Trump has the personality of a mortician, and the energy that makes Jeb Bush look an Olympian.” pic.twitter.com/iOdUbTQLyS — Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 25, 2023 × “It was a hashtag disaster. It took a long time for Elon Musk to barely figure out how and what was going on. It took two charismatic billionaires like Elon Musk and David Sacks to carry DeSantis through this where he basically read an op-ed about what he is gonna do,” he said. Trump Jr continued his tirade by making snide remarks against Desantis saying that he had a “sort of nasally and effeminate … voice”. Gaffe draws million of views and ridicule As expected, the clip of his slip-of-the-tongue moment went viral, receiving over a million views and triggering a trolling spree. “Someone needs to tell him he got it all wrong if he’s trying to hype his father,” a Twitter user said. Another user Allene Lewis quipped: “This is rich! For the first time in Donny He’s life he spoke truth about daddy. “It was that extra bump that Jr did right before recording this,” one said. DeSantis announced his candidacy for president in a campaign launch video on Wednesday, on Twitter Spaces. The campaign was soon saw severe glitches as a "break the internet" moment because of intense interest during its launch. Trump and his allies called the episode an embarrassing flop. The former president also shared a video on his Truth Social outlet, in which a rocket was seen crashing and exploding with the caption "Ron! 2024." (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: Donald Trump Jr accidentally insults his father instead of DeSantis

<p>He was preparing to launch his campaign to win the Republican Party nomination for US Presidential Election in 2024. He chose a novel platform to make the announcement, Twitter Spaces. Twitter owner Elon Musk himself was part of the stream. But what should have been quite a noteworthy announcement&nbsp;from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis turned into something that made news for the wrong reasons. The Space&nbsp;crashed repeatedly as he&nbsp;made the announcement, or at least tried to. This cast a shadow on the major event&nbsp;DeSantis hoped would boost his ratings.&nbsp;About 678,000 people tuned in to listen when the glitches and&nbsp;crashes took the shine off the announcement. Musk attributed the crashes to the number of listeners and his large following on Twitter.</p>

<p>But the internet is an unforgiving arena. The damage was done and people started trolling DeSantis, whose presidential aspirations seemed to have encountered the first stumbling block even before the campaign started.</p>

<p>US President Joe Biden led the charge.</p>

<p>"This link works," he tweeted, posting a link to the donation page to his re-election campaign.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This link works: <a href="https://t.co/9PzIJkseYI">https://t.co/9PzIJkseYI</a></p>
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1661496322980028423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>It would've been a surprise if former US president Donald Trump hadn't jumped at the opportunity to troll DeSantis. Trump has already declared that he would contest the 2024 elections and DeSantis appears to be the last major candidate in his path to&nbsp;winning the Republican nomination.</p>

<p>Trump posted a parody video in which DeSantis was in a Twitter Space with Musk, George Soros, the FBI and even Adolf&nbsp;Hitler. Trump posted the video on his Truth Social social media platform. The video was shared by many on Twitter as well.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Welcome to the election battle guys. It's going to be wild from now on. Even the dead will speak 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/z9ZWiZOMu7">pic.twitter.com/z9ZWiZOMu7</a></p>
— GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/GreatGameIndia/status/1661561789426049026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Other Twitter users were at it too. One of them said Trump was just waiting for DeSantis' Twitter Space to crash.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Trump watching the DeSantis Twitter Space crash <a href="https://t.co/xYfIdEqJRi">pic.twitter.com/xYfIdEqJRi</a></p>
— Dank Conservative Memes (@DankConMemes) <a href="https://twitter.com/DankConMemes/status/1661499880567902208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>One Twitter user said that after DeSantis' Twitter Space, Trump was in a 'safe space'</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">DeSantis announced on Twitter Spaces while Trump hid in his Safe Space. <a href="https://t.co/NRoQ1mW4db">pic.twitter.com/NRoQ1mW4db</a></p>
— Paineful Truths 3: Revenge of the Memes 🏴‍☠️ (@painefultruths3) <a href="https://twitter.com/painefultruths3/status/1661526336517677056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>@CoffeeTimesNews trolled DeSantis for eating pudding with his fingers and linked it to his Space.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign launch is going exactly how I would expect a guy who eats pudding with his fingers presidential campaign launch would <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FailureToLaunch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FailureToLaunch</a> <a href="https://t.co/PoyVYk6OkU">pic.twitter.com/PoyVYk6OkU</a></p>
— CoffeyTimeNews (@CoffeyTimeNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoffeyTimeNews/status/1661533710653456387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>Some people tried to blame Elon Musk and said he shouldn't have fired the majority of employees at Twitter after taking over.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Maybe if the world’s wealthiest man hadn’t laid off 80% of Twitter’s staff to save some money, Musk and DeSantis wouldn’t have had a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FailureToLaunch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FailureToLaunch</a>. <a href="https://t.co/ounz8qe2DI">pic.twitter.com/ounz8qe2DI</a></p>
— Mindcite💥 (@Mindcite_US) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mindcite_US/status/1661529506354438145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>As DeSantis began to be&nbsp;trolled following the glitchy event, "Failure to Launch", "Crashed" and #DeSaster were among the trending Twitter topics in the US.</p>

<h2>Musk's Takeover of Twitter</h2>

<p>Musk took over Twitter last year. Soon after acquiring the social media platform, he fired nearly half of the workforce. This had had an effect on Twitter's stability and the platform crashed a number of times last year.</p>

<p>Under Musk, Twitter outages have become more numerous. This year in March, thousands of users said that they were having problems accessing links that were posted on the platform.</p>

<p>Internet observatory NetBlocks said the March incident was Twitter's sixth major outage since the year began, compared with three in the same period last year.</p>

<p>DeSantis hasn't yet commented&nbsp;about the problems he faced during the campaign launch on Twitter.</p>

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He was preparing to launch his campaign to win the Republican Party nomination for US Presidential Election in 2024. He chose a novel platform to make the announcement, Twitter Spaces.

He was preparing to launch his campaign to win the Republican Party nomination for US Presidential Election in 2024. He chose a novel platform to make the announcement, Twitter Spaces. Twitter owner Elon Musk himself was part of the stream. But what should have been quite a noteworthy announcement from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis turned into something that made news for the wrong reasons. The Space crashed repeatedly as he made the announcement, or at least tried to. This cast a shadow on the major event DeSantis hoped would boost his ratings. About 678,000 people tuned in to listen when the glitches and crashes took the shine off the announcement. Musk attributed the crashes to the number of listeners and his large following on Twitter. But the internet is an unforgiving arena. The damage was done and people started trolling DeSantis, whose presidential aspirations seemed to have encountered the first stumbling block even before the campaign started. US President Joe Biden led the charge. "This link works," he tweeted, posting a link to the donation page to his re-election campaign. This link works: https://t.co/9PzIJkseYI — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 24, 2023 × It would've been a surprise if former US president Donald Trump hadn't jumped at the opportunity to troll DeSantis. Trump has already declared that he would contest the 2024 elections and DeSantis appears to be the last major candidate in his path to winning the Republican nomination. Trump posted a parody video in which DeSantis was in a Twitter Space with Musk, George Soros, the FBI and even Adolf Hitler. Trump posted the video on his Truth Social social media platform. The video was shared by many on Twitter as well. Welcome to the election battle guys. It's going to be wild from now on. Even the dead will speak 🤣 pic.twitter.com/z9ZWiZOMu7 — GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) May 25, 2023 × Other Twitter users were at it too. One of them said Trump was just waiting for DeSantis' Twitter Space to crash. Trump watching the DeSantis Twitter Space crash pic.twitter.com/xYfIdEqJRi — Dank Conservative Memes (@DankConMemes) May 24, 2023 × One Twitter user said that after DeSantis' Twitter Space, Trump was in a 'safe space' DeSantis announced on Twitter Spaces while Trump hid in his Safe Space. pic.twitter.com/NRoQ1mW4db — Paineful Truths 3: Revenge of the Memes 🏴‍☠️ (@painefultruths3) May 25, 2023 × @CoffeeTimesNews trolled DeSantis for eating pudding with his fingers and linked it to his Space. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign launch is going exactly how I would expect a guy who eats pudding with his fingers presidential campaign launch would #FailureToLaunch pic.twitter.com/PoyVYk6OkU — CoffeyTimeNews (@CoffeyTimeNews) May 25, 2023 × Some people tried to blame Elon Musk and said he shouldn't have fired the majority of employees at Twitter after taking over. Maybe if the world’s wealthiest man hadn’t laid off 80% of Twitter’s staff to save some money, Musk and DeSantis wouldn’t have had a #FailureToLaunch. pic.twitter.com/ounz8qe2DI — Mindcite💥 (@Mindcite_US) May 25, 2023 × As DeSantis began to be trolled following the glitchy event, "Failure to Launch", "Crashed" and #DeSaster were among the trending Twitter topics in the US. Musk's Takeover of Twitter Musk took over Twitter last year. Soon after acquiring the social media platform, he fired nearly half of the workforce. This had had an effect on Twitter's stability and the platform crashed a number of times last year. Under Musk, Twitter outages have become more numerous. This year in March, thousands of users said that they were having problems accessing links that were posted on the platform. Internet observatory NetBlocks said the March incident was Twitter's sixth major outage since the year began, compared with three in the same period last year. DeSantis hasn't yet commented about the problems he faced during the campaign launch on Twitter. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

'#DeSaster': Internet trolls DeSantis after glitchy campaign launch on Twitter Spaces

The Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suffered a chaotic start to his 2024 Presidential election race on Wednesday when glitches spoiled an online forum hosted by Twitter owner Elon Musk - that was meant to showcase DeSantis' fitness for the top job but the ill timing of the failure has raised some questions.

Twitter crashes as Ron DeSantis launches 2024 US Presidential bid

<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidfVKE657mbITM" /><meta charset="utf-8" /></p>

<p>Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday (May 24) officially confirmed his 2024 US presidential bid. Papers filed with the Federal Election Commission showed that DeSantis has launched his challenge to Donald Trump for the party's 2024 White House nomination.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He tweeted a video to make the announcement ahead of an audio interview on Twitter with its CEO, Elon Musk. DeSantis wrote: "I'm running for president to lead our Great American Comeback."&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the video, he said, "We need the courage to lead and the strength to win. I'm Ron DeSantis, and I'm running for president to lead our great American comeback."&nbsp;<br />
<br />
"Government is not about entertainment, not about building a brand," DeSantis said, taking a veiled swipe at Trump, whom he quite expectedly never mentioned by name.<br />
<br />
“American decline is not inevitable — it is a choice. And we should choose a new direction — a path that will lead to American revitalization,” DeSantis said, racing through his conservative accomplishments.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
“We had a huge audience,” DeSantis said in a subsequent interview on Fox News when asked about the technical difficulties. “It was the biggest they ever had. It did break the Twitter space. We’re really excited about the enthusiasm.”</p>

<h2>Twitter crashes<strong>&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>The highly-publicised interaction of Ron DeSantis with Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces didn't go as planned as the social media site crashed repeatedly, disrupting the plan for the announcement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>About 678,000 people tuned in to listen as Twitter suffered repeated crashes, and&nbsp;Musk attributed the problems to the number of listeners.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Spaces session eventually resumed, reaching about 304,000 listeners.&nbsp;</p>

<p>David Sacks, a venture capitalist and close friend of Musk, attempted&nbsp;to start the event on Wednesday. He said, "We've got so many people here that I think we are kind of melting the servers, which is a good sign."&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. <a href="https://t.co/YmkWkLaVDg">pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg</a></p>
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1661491799393964034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p><br />
DeSantis’ campaign spokesman Bryan Griffin said on Twitter that the enthusiasm for DeSantis had “literally busted up the internet” and shared that the campaign raised $1 million within an hour.</p>

<p>The Twitter broadcast of the hour-long interview lost sound for extended stretches and thousands of users were either dropped or were unable to join.<br />
<br />
Twitter owner Elon Musk, who was hosting the conversation, blamed the glitches on servers not having sufficient bandwidth for the huge number of people who were trying to tune in.<br />
After launching a second Spaces from the Twitter account of entrepreneur David Sacks, Musk apologised and said, “I think we’re definitely breaking new ground here. As far as I know, no major presidential candidate has ever announced candidacy on social media this way. So thank you for doing that.”<br />
<br />
DeSantis will take on Trump for the Republican nomination. However, it might face challenges in the near future as he trails the former president in recent polls.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A day before the formal statement, Musk said that they will be interviewing DeSantis as he has "quite an announcement to make" and it will be the very first time that something like this is happening on social media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Musk said he won't endorse any particular candidate at this time, but he is "interested in X/Twitter being somewhat of a public town square".&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Twitter CEO also noted that the real-time questions and answers will not be "scripted".&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Who is Ro DeSantis?</strong></h2>

<p>DeSantis has an aggressive style of cultural conservatism and has created a national presence. The 44-year-old is quite a newcomer to US politics, having been elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2012. In 2018, he was elected governor of Florida.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He defeated Democratic candidate Charlie Crist last November by over 20 percentage points with 98 per cent of the projected vote counted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He has enraged Donald&nbsp;Trump, who dubbed him "Ron De-Sanctimonious". President Joe Biden referred to DeSantis as "Donald Trump incarnate" in his harshest remarks yet against the governor.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Never Back Down, a pro-DeSantis political organisation, released a video to commemorate the announcement of the governor's November 2022 election victory speech, in which he declares that "Florida is where woke goes to die."</p>

<p>"We chose facts over fear. We chose education over indoctrination. We weathered the storm," he says.</p>

<p>"We fight the woke in the schools. We fight the woke in the corporations, we will never ever surrender to the woke mob. We will be courageous and we will never back down."&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Donald Trump targeted DeSantis for the glitchy launch on twitter and wrote on Truth Social: “Wow! The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER! His whole campaign will be a disaster. WATCH!” he wrote on his social media site.<br />
<br />
Other declared Republican candidates include Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Tim Scott, a U.S. senator from South Carolina.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em>&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday (May 24) officially confirmed his 2024 US presidential bid. Papers filed with the Federal Election Commission showed that DeSantis has launched his challenge to Donald Trump for the party's 2024 White House nomination.

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday (May 24) officially confirmed his 2024 US presidential bid. Papers filed with the Federal Election Commission showed that DeSantis has launched his challenge to Donald Trump for the party's 2024 White House nomination. He tweeted a video to make the announcement ahead of an audio interview on Twitter with its CEO, Elon Musk. DeSantis wrote: "I'm running for president to lead our Great American Comeback." In the video, he said, "We need the courage to lead and the strength to win. I'm Ron DeSantis, and I'm running for president to lead our great American comeback." "Government is not about entertainment, not about building a brand," DeSantis said, taking a veiled swipe at Trump, whom he quite expectedly never mentioned by name. “American decline is not inevitable — it is a choice. And we should choose a new direction — a path that will lead to American revitalization,” DeSantis said, racing through his conservative accomplishments. “We had a huge audience,” DeSantis said in a subsequent interview on Fox News when asked about the technical difficulties. “It was the biggest they ever had. It did break the Twitter space. We’re really excited about the enthusiasm.” Twitter crashes The highly-publicised interaction of Ron DeSantis with Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces didn't go as planned as the social media site crashed repeatedly, disrupting the plan for the announcement. About 678,000 people tuned in to listen as Twitter suffered repeated crashes, and Musk attributed the problems to the number of listeners. The Spaces session eventually resumed, reaching about 304,000 listeners. David Sacks, a venture capitalist and close friend of Musk, attempted to start the event on Wednesday. He said, "We've got so many people here that I think we are kind of melting the servers, which is a good sign." I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback. pic.twitter.com/YmkWkLaVDg — Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) May 24, 2023 × DeSantis’ campaign spokesman Bryan Griffin said on Twitter that the enthusiasm for DeSantis had “literally busted up the internet” and shared that the campaign raised $1 million within an hour. The Twitter broadcast of the hour-long interview lost sound for extended stretches and thousands of users were either dropped or were unable to join. Twitter owner Elon Musk, who was hosting the conversation, blamed the glitches on servers not having sufficient bandwidth for the huge number of people who were trying to tune in. After launching a second Spaces from the Twitter account of entrepreneur David Sacks, Musk apologised and said, “I think we’re definitely breaking new ground here. As far as I know, no major presidential candidate has ever announced candidacy on social media this way. So thank you for doing that.” DeSantis will take on Trump for the Republican nomination. However, it might face challenges in the near future as he trails the former president in recent polls. A day before the formal statement, Musk said that they will be interviewing DeSantis as he has "quite an announcement to make" and it will be the very first time that something like this is happening on social media. Musk said he won't endorse any particular candidate at this time, but he is "interested in X/Twitter being somewhat of a public town square". The Twitter CEO also noted that the real-time questions and answers will not be "scripted". Who is Ro DeSantis? DeSantis has an aggressive style of cultural conservatism and has created a national presence. The 44-year-old is quite a newcomer to US politics, having been elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2012. In 2018, he was elected governor of Florida. He defeated Democratic candidate Charlie Crist last November by over 20 percentage points with 98 per cent of the projected vote counted. He has enraged Donald Trump, who dubbed him "Ron De-Sanctimonious". President Joe Biden referred to DeSantis as "Donald Trump incarnate" in his harshest remarks yet against the governor. Never Back Down, a pro-DeSantis political organisation, released a video to commemorate the announcement of the governor's November 2022 election victory speech, in which he declares that "Florida is where woke goes to die." "We chose facts over fear. We chose education over indoctrination. We weathered the storm," he says. "We fight the woke in the schools. We fight the woke in the corporations, we will never ever surrender to the woke mob. We will be courageous and we will never back down." Donald Trump targeted DeSantis for the glitchy launch on twitter and wrote on Truth Social: “Wow! The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER! His whole campaign will be a disaster. WATCH!” he wrote on his social media site. Other declared Republican candidates include Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Tim Scott, a U.S. senator from South Carolina. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Twitter stutters as Republican Ron DeSantis announces bid to enter 2024 presidential race

Ron DeSantis' Presidential Bid 2024: How Elon Musk made it all about Twitter | World News | WION

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<p>The Republican queue for securing a presidential nomination is getting congested with each passing day. While former president Donald Trump is currently leading the pack, many consider Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the dark horse who can take the fight to him and perhaps, stage an upset, if the stars align themselves perfectly.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday, vowing to lead Americans into a new era of success and fight for their freedoms.&nbsp;Within the GOP, despite Trump's larger-than-life image, DeSantis remains the best hope for anti-Trump forces.&nbsp;</p>

<p>DeSantis’ rising profile among Republicans and fundraising skills make&nbsp;him one of the biggest threats to Trump who appears to be rattled by his presence.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Both DeSantis and Trump have been at each other's throats ever since it was insinuated that they may have to share the gladiatorial stage.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Trump has attacked the Florida governor by calling him 'meatball Ron', 'Ron DeSanctimonious' whilst implying that DeSantis may be hit with sexual assault allegations from both men and women.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I think if he runs, he could hurt himself very badly. I think the base would not like it - I don't think it would be good for the party," said Trump, when quizzed about DeSantis' nomination.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-elections/florida-republican-governor-ron-desantis-to-formally-enter-us-presidential-election-next-week-593574"><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to formally enter US presidential election race next week</strong></a></p>

<h2><strong>But who is DeSantis?</strong></h2>

<p>After graduating&nbsp;from Yale University, DeSantis attended Harvard Law School. He&nbsp; graduated&nbsp;Juris Doctor cum laude in 2005. DeSantis joined the US Navy in 2004 and worked as a legal adviser to SEAL Team One. He did a stint in Iraq in 2007 before being appointed Special Assistant US attorney by the Department of Justice eight months later.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 and has since steadily risen among the ranks. At one time, he was one of Trump's ardent followers, having been one of the founding leaders of the Freedom Caucus. However, with a presidential nomination on the line, both have turned into arch-enemies of sorts.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Task remains uphill for DeSantis</strong></h2>

<p>The task, though, is not straightforward for DeSantis. Reuters/Ipsos poll&nbsp;conducted this month showed Trump was backed by 49 per cent of Republicans and DeSantis 19 per cent.</p>

<p>Any previous candidate attempting to secure a presidential nomination has not lost from this position — meaning Trump has the upper hand. To change the tide, DeSantis not only has to convince anti-Trump GOP lawmakers but also Trump supporters as well as maybe-Trumpers.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Trump's aura may not be as strong as in 2016</strong></h2>

<p>Despite the flair and charm that Trump exhibits, he has two consecutive failed election campaigns on his resume. He lost the 2020 presidential elections and later cried wolf that the election was stolen from him. Two years later, Trump claimed there was a red wave across the country, only for Republicans to lose the Senate to the Democrats in the midterms.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Poll analysts are of the view that Trump does not have a particular agenda going into the race. He is sitting on his past laurels and attempting to change the mind of voters who did not stay with him in 2020 by using his tried-and-tested tactics of excessive noise. Comparatively, DeSantis is regarded as an astute politician who has done the hard yards and knows how to grind out results.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-kicks-off-2024-campaign-targeting-gender-expression-ron-desantis-575870"><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;Trump kicks off 2024 campaign targeting gender expression, Ron DeSantis</strong></a></p>

<p>DeSantis' popularity can be gauged by the fact that in an election where Trump's magic was a far cry, he won the Florida seat by a whopping margin of 1.5 million votes - the largest in the state in more than four decades.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has also thrown his weight behind him, saying that he would prefer to cast aside Trump in favour of DeSantis as the Republican party leader.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Then there is the age issue that plays into DeSantis' hands. Trump will be 78 heading into the 2024 election and for all the stick current US President Joe Biden has got for his old age, not many would be willing to let Trump go easily either. DeSantis is young, and as many in political circles say, absolutely meticulous when it comes to seeing a policy to the end.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;Trump attacks Biden after he announces 2024 re-election bid</strong></p>

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<h2><strong>DeSantis, the politician</strong></h2>

<p>The dispute between DeSantis and Disney after the latter criticised the state's Parental Rights in Education Act, colloquially known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill,&nbsp;has been one of the biggest launch pads for the Florida governor in the lead-up to the election.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Taking on a 'woke' Disney has become one of the major poll planks for DeSantis. The Disney controversy has earned him points in the conservative circles and he is now doubling down on the issue to go for the jugular. However, Disney cancelling the $1&nbsp;billion investment in Florida may have thrown a monkey wrench in DeSantis' plans.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In order to bring his campaign back on track, election experts believe that DeSantis will have to either win in Iowa or New Hampshire. Though a win may not be enough to win a nomination, it is necessary to take the fight to the last day of primaries.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The likes of Barack Obama and John McCain, who polled in the low 20s in the nomination race, managed to make a comeback after winning Iowa and New Hampshire respectively, back in the day.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Many within the GOP, in hushed voices, say they are not confident that Trump is the right person to usher in the new Republican era. There is a clear consensus that DeSantis will be a far better and more effective branch leader. The result, however, will depend on how aggressive DeSantis plays after announcing the nomination because Trump will not be taking any prisoners.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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The Republican queue for securing a presidential nomination is getting congested with each passing day. While former president Donald Trump is currently leading the pack, many consider Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the dark horse who can take the fight to him and perhaps, stage an upset, if the stars align themselves perfectly.

The Republican queue for securing a presidential nomination is getting congested with each passing day. While former president Donald Trump is currently leading the pack, many consider Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the dark horse who can take the fight to him and perhaps, stage an upset, if the stars align themselves perfectly. DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday, vowing to lead Americans into a new era of success and fight for their freedoms. Within the GOP, despite Trump's larger-than-life image, DeSantis remains the best hope for anti-Trump forces. DeSantis’ rising profile among Republicans and fundraising skills make him one of the biggest threats to Trump who appears to be rattled by his presence. Both DeSantis and Trump have been at each other's throats ever since it was insinuated that they may have to share the gladiatorial stage. Trump has attacked the Florida governor by calling him 'meatball Ron', 'Ron DeSanctimonious' whilst implying that DeSantis may be hit with sexual assault allegations from both men and women. "I think if he runs, he could hurt himself very badly. I think the base would not like it - I don't think it would be good for the party," said Trump, when quizzed about DeSantis' nomination. ALSO READ | Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to formally enter US presidential election race next week But who is DeSantis? After graduating from Yale University, DeSantis attended Harvard Law School. He graduated Juris Doctor cum laude in 2005. DeSantis joined the US Navy in 2004 and worked as a legal adviser to SEAL Team One. He did a stint in Iraq in 2007 before being appointed Special Assistant US attorney by the Department of Justice eight months later. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 and has since steadily risen among the ranks. At one time, he was one of Trump's ardent followers, having been one of the founding leaders of the Freedom Caucus. However, with a presidential nomination on the line, both have turned into arch-enemies of sorts. Task remains uphill for DeSantis The task, though, is not straightforward for DeSantis. Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted this month showed Trump was backed by 49 per cent of Republicans and DeSantis 19 per cent. Any previous candidate attempting to secure a presidential nomination has not lost from this position — meaning Trump has the upper hand. To change the tide, DeSantis not only has to convince anti-Trump GOP lawmakers but also Trump supporters as well as maybe-Trumpers. Trump's aura may not be as strong as in 2016 Despite the flair and charm that Trump exhibits, he has two consecutive failed election campaigns on his resume. He lost the 2020 presidential elections and later cried wolf that the election was stolen from him. Two years later, Trump claimed there was a red wave across the country, only for Republicans to lose the Senate to the Democrats in the midterms. Poll analysts are of the view that Trump does not have a particular agenda going into the race. He is sitting on his past laurels and attempting to change the mind of voters who did not stay with him in 2020 by using his tried-and-tested tactics of excessive noise. Comparatively, DeSantis is regarded as an astute politician who has done the hard yards and knows how to grind out results. ALSO READ | Trump kicks off 2024 campaign targeting gender expression, Ron DeSantis DeSantis' popularity can be gauged by the fact that in an election where Trump's magic was a far cry, he won the Florida seat by a whopping margin of 1.5 million votes - the largest in the state in more than four decades. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has also thrown his weight behind him, saying that he would prefer to cast aside Trump in favour of DeSantis as the Republican party leader. Then there is the age issue that plays into DeSantis' hands. Trump will be 78 heading into the 2024 election and for all the stick current US President Joe Biden has got for his old age, not many would be willing to let Trump go easily either. DeSantis is young, and as many in political circles say, absolutely meticulous when it comes to seeing a policy to the end. WATCH | Trump attacks Biden after he announces 2024 re-election bid × DeSantis, the politician The dispute between DeSantis and Disney after the latter criticised the state's Parental Rights in Education Act, colloquially known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, has been one of the biggest launch pads for the Florida governor in the lead-up to the election. Taking on a 'woke' Disney has become one of the major poll planks for DeSantis. The Disney controversy has earned him points in the conservative circles and he is now doubling down on the issue to go for the jugular. However, Disney cancelling the $1 billion investment in Florida may have thrown a monkey wrench in DeSantis' plans. In order to bring his campaign back on track, election experts believe that DeSantis will have to either win in Iowa or New Hampshire. Though a win may not be enough to win a nomination, it is necessary to take the fight to the last day of primaries. The likes of Barack Obama and John McCain, who polled in the low 20s in the nomination race, managed to make a comeback after winning Iowa and New Hampshire respectively, back in the day. Many within the GOP, in hushed voices, say they are not confident that Trump is the right person to usher in the new Republican era. There is a clear consensus that DeSantis will be a far better and more effective branch leader. The result, however, will depend on how aggressive DeSantis plays after announcing the nomination because Trump will not be taking any prisoners. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Who is Ron DeSantis? All you need to know about Republican leader who joined White House race

<p>Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will announce his 2024 US presidential bid on Wednesday (May 24) during a live Twitter event with Elon Musk, news agency AFP reported citing a source familiar with his plans. DeSantis is the leading Republican rival to Donald Trump.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Twitter CEO Musk spoke via video link about the upcoming interview with DeSantis. He said, "We'll be interviewing Ron DeSantis, and he has quite an announcement to make and it will be the very first time that something like this is happening on social media and with real-time questions and answers, not scripted. So it's going to be live and let it rip. Let's see what happens."&nbsp;</p>

<h2><br />
Want X/Twitter being like public town square: Musk</h2>

<p>"I'm not at this time going to endorse any particular candidate, but I am interested in X/Twitter being somewhat of a public town square," Musk added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"And I do think it's important that Twitter has&nbsp;both the reality and the perception of a level playing field of a place where all voices are heard and where there's the kind of dynamic interaction that you don't really see anywhere else," he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"My preference and I think the preference of most Americans is really to have someone fairly normal in office. But I think we'd all be quite, quite happy with that, actually. You know, I think someone that is representative of the moderate views that I think most country holds, in reality," he further noted.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch this report:</strong>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The news was first reported by NBC News and the report mentioned that the announcement is apparently scheduled to take place at 6:00pm ET on Twitter Spaces.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The event is said to be moderated by tech entrepreneur David Sacks and the report mentioned that the users of the micro-blogging site can participate in audio conversations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The campaign will release a launch video that evening, and DeSantis will begin touring several early states after Memorial Day.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It's unclear whether Musk would publicly endorse DeSantis on Wednesday, NBC News reported citing another source that his presence is seen as a clear indicator of support for DeSantis among staff.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Who is Ron DeSantis?&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>Last November, the 44-year-old DeSantis defeated Democratic candidate Charlie Crist by over 20 percentage points with 98% of the projected vote counted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He has enraged former president Donald Trump, who even dubbed him "Ron De-Sanctimonious". President Joe Biden referred to DeSantis as "Donald Trump incarnate" in his harshest remarks yet against the governor. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-is-ron-desantis-all-you-need-to-know-about-republican-leader-seeking-prez-nomination-595578">Click Here to read the profile of Ron DeSantis</a>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em><br />
&nbsp;</p>

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Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will announce his 2024 US presidential bid on Wednesday (May 24) during a live Twitter event with Elon Musk, news agency AFP reported citing a source familiar with his plans.

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will announce his 2024 US presidential bid on Wednesday (May 24) during a live Twitter event with Elon Musk, news agency AFP reported citing a source familiar with his plans. DeSantis is the leading Republican rival to Donald Trump. Twitter CEO Musk spoke via video link about the upcoming interview with DeSantis. He said, "We'll be interviewing Ron DeSantis, and he has quite an announcement to make and it will be the very first time that something like this is happening on social media and with real-time questions and answers, not scripted. So it's going to be live and let it rip. Let's see what happens." Want X/Twitter being like public town square: Musk "I'm not at this time going to endorse any particular candidate, but I am interested in X/Twitter being somewhat of a public town square," Musk added. "And I do think it's important that Twitter has both the reality and the perception of a level playing field of a place where all voices are heard and where there's the kind of dynamic interaction that you don't really see anywhere else," he added. "My preference and I think the preference of most Americans is really to have someone fairly normal in office. But I think we'd all be quite, quite happy with that, actually. You know, I think someone that is representative of the moderate views that I think most country holds, in reality," he further noted. Watch this report: × The news was first reported by NBC News and the report mentioned that the announcement is apparently scheduled to take place at 6:00pm ET on Twitter Spaces. The event is said to be moderated by tech entrepreneur David Sacks and the report mentioned that the users of the micro-blogging site can participate in audio conversations. The campaign will release a launch video that evening, and DeSantis will begin touring several early states after Memorial Day. It's unclear whether Musk would publicly endorse DeSantis on Wednesday, NBC News reported citing another source that his presence is seen as a clear indicator of support for DeSantis among staff. Who is Ron DeSantis? Last November, the 44-year-old DeSantis defeated Democratic candidate Charlie Crist by over 20 percentage points with 98% of the projected vote counted. He has enraged former president Donald Trump, who even dubbed him "Ron De-Sanctimonious". President Joe Biden referred to DeSantis as "Donald Trump incarnate" in his harshest remarks yet against the governor. Click Here to read the profile of Ron DeSantis (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Ron DeSantis to announce 2024 US presidential bid on Twitter with Elon Musk by his side

<p>A restaurant owner in Florida's Orlando has sued the state and Governor Ron DeSantis over a bill that restricts drag show performances. Hamburger Mary's in Orlando has hosted “family friendly” drag shows since 2008, and the owner claims that the bill signed into law by DeSantis violates its First Amendment rights to free expression. The owner on Thursday filed a lawsuit in federal court.</p>

<p>Hamburger Mary's claimed that none of its drag shows featured sexually explicit demonstrations, thus making the event children-friendly. The lawsuit filed by Hamburger Mary's read, “the performances are suitable for children, as there is no lewd activity, sexually explicit shows, disorderly conduct, public exposure, obscene exhibition, or anything inappropriate for a child to see."</p>

<p>However, the bill passed by the state of Florida imposes a blanket ban on the involvement of children in such drag shows. According to a statement by Hamburger Mary's, “The statute is too vague and overly broad, thereby limiting expression in violation of the First Amendment”.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/florida-governor-desantis-passes-anti-lgbtq-legislation-593705"><strong>Also Read |&nbsp;Florida Governor DeSantis signs bills restricting LGBTQ+ rights ahead of 2024 presidential election campaign</strong></a></p>

<p>The new law mandates the suspension of the licences of such businesses that allow children to perform at drag shows. According to the lawsuit, the business has lost 20 per cent of its customers since the new law has been passed.</p>

<h2><strong>What are Florida’s new laws concerning the LGBTQ+ community</strong></h2>

<p><strong>Florida State Bill DB 254</strong>: The bill aims to impose limitations on gender-affirming healthcare available to individuals below 18 years of age. Under this proposed legislation, the state would have the authority to temporarily take custody of any child who receives such medical treatment.</p>

<p>The bill explicitly states, "Patients who are below 18 years of age are prohibited from receiving sex-reassignment prescriptions and procedures."</p>

<p><strong>House Bill 1069</strong>: In addition to this bill, House Bill 1069 is set to expand the existing Parental Rights in Education law, which has been criticised by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" law. The updated measure seeks to restrict classroom teachings related to gender identity or sexual orientation from prekindergarten through 8th grade. For students in grades 9 to 12, any such content should be "age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate, in accordance with state standards."&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>House Bill 1521:</strong>&nbsp;Furthermore, House Bill 1521 is proposing a requirement for transgender individuals to utilise restrooms that align with the gender assigned to them at birth.</p>

<p><strong>Senate Bill 1438</strong>: Another bill, Senate Bill 1438, aims to prohibit minors from attending any form of "adult live performances," potentially affecting drag performances. The legislation defines "adult live performance" as any live presentation before an audience that involves depictions or simulations of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, specific sexual activities, lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts. Additionally, it includes various provisions regarding the interest, conduct, and value of such performances.</p>

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A restaurant owner in Florida's Orlando has sued the state and Governor Ron DeSantis over a bill that restricts drag show performances. Hamburger Mary's in Orlando has hosted “family friendly” drag shows since 2008, and the owner claims that the bill signed into law by DeSantis violates its First Amendment rights to free expression.

A restaurant owner in Florida's Orlando has sued the state and Governor Ron DeSantis over a bill that restricts drag show performances. Hamburger Mary's in Orlando has hosted “family friendly” drag shows since 2008, and the owner claims that the bill signed into law by DeSantis violates its First Amendment rights to free expression. The owner on Thursday filed a lawsuit in federal court. Hamburger Mary's claimed that none of its drag shows featured sexually explicit demonstrations, thus making the event children-friendly. The lawsuit filed by Hamburger Mary's read, “the performances are suitable for children, as there is no lewd activity, sexually explicit shows, disorderly conduct, public exposure, obscene exhibition, or anything inappropriate for a child to see." However, the bill passed by the state of Florida imposes a blanket ban on the involvement of children in such drag shows. According to a statement by Hamburger Mary's, “The statute is too vague and overly broad, thereby limiting expression in violation of the First Amendment”. Also Read | Florida Governor DeSantis signs bills restricting LGBTQ+ rights ahead of 2024 presidential election campaign The new law mandates the suspension of the licences of such businesses that allow children to perform at drag shows. According to the lawsuit, the business has lost 20 per cent of its customers since the new law has been passed. What are Florida’s new laws concerning the LGBTQ+ community Florida State Bill DB 254: The bill aims to impose limitations on gender-affirming healthcare available to individuals below 18 years of age. Under this proposed legislation, the state would have the authority to temporarily take custody of any child who receives such medical treatment. The bill explicitly states, "Patients who are below 18 years of age are prohibited from receiving sex-reassignment prescriptions and procedures." House Bill 1069: In addition to this bill, House Bill 1069 is set to expand the existing Parental Rights in Education law, which has been criticised by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" law. The updated measure seeks to restrict classroom teachings related to gender identity or sexual orientation from prekindergarten through 8th grade. For students in grades 9 to 12, any such content should be "age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate, in accordance with state standards." House Bill 1521: Furthermore, House Bill 1521 is proposing a requirement for transgender individuals to utilise restrooms that align with the gender assigned to them at birth. Senate Bill 1438: Another bill, Senate Bill 1438, aims to prohibit minors from attending any form of "adult live performances," potentially affecting drag performances. The legislation defines "adult live performance" as any live presentation before an audience that involves depictions or simulations of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, specific sexual activities, lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts. Additionally, it includes various provisions regarding the interest, conduct, and value of such performances. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Restaurant owner sues Florida state, Governor DeSantis over bill that bans children from drag shows

A year ago, Elon Musk tweeted that the platform should be politically neutral to earn public trust. Things seem to have changed of course - Musk now owns Twitter and seems to favour right-wing politicians - he promotes far-right conspiracy theories and is even tipping his toes into the Republican Presidential primary race.

Elon Musk & Ron DeSantis to unite on Twitter spaces | US Presidential race gets digital twist | WION

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