During a Twitter Spaces session co-hosted by Elon Musk, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially entered the contest for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, following months of speculation.

In a post-announcement interview on Fox News conducted by his former congressional colleague Trey Gowdy, DeSantis outlined his first-day agenda should he be elected president.

“The border, there’s a lot you can do, ripping out [President Joe] Biden’s anti-American energy policies,” DeSantis began. “You probably could do most of the executive, you’ll probably need to do some of that legislative as well.

Continuing, he stated that “re-constitutionalizing the administrative state” is a top priority.

“We have a bureaucracy that’s totally out of control. You need to be willing to use Article 2 power to bring the administrative state to heel,” he added. “I will do that.”

“I think Congress also has a role in reigning in the abuses through both the power of the purse and through making sure that they are legislating through clear and defined laws that aren’t delegating huge swaths of power to unelected bureaucrats,” DeSantis said.

He also added: “One thing I think we can do legislatively is national school choice. We’ve done it in Florida, it’s made a huge difference for low-income families.”

DeSantis is now pitted against the current frontrunner of his party, Donald Trump.

Trump responded to the news on Wednesday evening by trolling DeSantis on Truth Social with a succession of posts, images of recent polls, and social media users’ opinions.

“I’d like to personally congratulate ‘Rob’ DeSanctimonious on finally announcing that he will be entering the race for President of the United States. Hopefully, he will get the full experience of being attacked by the Marxists, Communists, and Radical Left Lunatics of our Country, without which he will never know the kind of job he is doing. These Lowlifes & Misfits are far worse than the leaders of hostile foreign countries. They must be soundly defeated in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump posted.

“Ron DeSantis’ decision to announce his 2024 White House bid in a conversation with Elon Musk on Twitter on Wednesday will make a typically blunt statement about his campaign, the unruly populism of the modern Republican Party, and an accelerating conservative media revolution,” CNN’s Stephen Collinson wrote in an analysis Tuesday ahead of DeSantis’ launch.

According to Fox News, DeSantis’ announcement coincided with a meeting he had this week in Miami with prominent financial supporters.

The New York Times reported earlier on Wednesday that a prominent political organization is preparing an extensive voter-outreach initiative in support of DeSantis’ presidential campaign.

More on this story via Conservative Brief:

The ambitious endeavor aims to reach every potential DeSantis supporter in New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina at least four times, with an additional fifth contact in the pivotal Iowa caucuses. To accomplish it, the group is preparing a substantial $100 million investment in their outreach efforts. CONTINUE READING…