The Grind:
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faced a rocky start to his highly anticipated presidential campaign launch alongside Elon Musk. The event, scheduled to take place on Twitter Spaces, was plagued by technical difficulties, dampening the initial excitement.
The problems began shortly before 6 p.m. as DeSantis and Musk attempted to announce the governor’s White House bid. The audio repeatedly cut in and out for more than 20 minutes, frustrating the audience. Musk himself expressed surprise and commented on the unprecedented nature of the disruptions.
The Details:
At its peak, the Twitter Space indicated an impressive turnout, with over 400,000 users tuning in to listen. However, the persistent audio issues detracted from the overall experience and left many attendees frustrated.
Eventually, a new Twitter Space was launched, providing a more stable platform for DeSantis to deliver his campaign kick-off speech. During the transition, President Joe Biden took a lighthearted jab at the technical difficulties, cheekily tweeting a link to his own re-election campaign, highlighting the functioning nature of his online presence.
When asked why he chose Twitter Spaces over more conventional mediums like cable news for his campaign announcement, DeSantis explained that he was drawn to the platform due to Musk’s commitment to protecting free speech. The Tesla CEO’s acquisition of Twitter for a whopping $44 billion had led DeSantis to believe that the social media platform could serve as a modern-day public town square.
Musk, in his endorsement of Twitter Spaces, emphasized its potential as a space where individuals could shape the narrative, diverging from traditional media outlets like newspapers and cable television. Despite the initial technical setbacks, DeSantis managed to deliver his speech before the audio cut out briefly once again, bringing an end to the disrupted launch event.