'Little Trump' DeSantis to Officially Announce US Presidential Run Next Week

Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor of the U.S. Republican Party known as the 'Little Trump,' will officially announce his challenge for the 2024 presidential election next week. A fierce battle is expected immediately for the Republican presidential nomination against former President Donald Trump, who currently holds the highest support within the party.

Local media, including CNN, reported on the 18th citing sources that Governor DeSantis is scheduled to register as a Republican presidential primary candidate with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on the 25th (local time). It is expected that DeSantis will begin his full-fledged presidential campaign along with his candidate registration.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the same day, a fundraising event will be held in Miami, Florida. This schedule takes into account the current law that prohibits holding fundraising events for the presidential election before candidate registration. Multiple sources reported that about 100 rooms have already been reserved at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami, with a goal of raising $100,000 to $150,000 per fundraiser.

Afterward, the official launch ceremony is planned to take place around Memorial Day weekend in his hometown of Dunedin, Florida. CNN described it as "early in the timeline," stating, "Governor DeSantis is responding to supporters and donors who want him to challenge former President Trump in the presidential race."

Governor DeSantis has been regarded as the strongest rival and alternative to former President Trump in the Republican Party's competition for the next presidential candidate ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. In a poll conducted right after last November's midterm elections, DeSantis surpassed Trump to become the top preferred Republican presidential candidate. He also enjoys public support from so-called 'big players' such as Ken Griffin, CEO of Citadel, a hedge fund that supports Republican political funding.

However, since the beginning of this year, his presence has somewhat weakened as he trails former President Trump, who is embroiled in legal risks. This is a result of conservative support consolidating around Trump due to indictments related to hush money allegations involving sexual relations. A recent survey by Morning Consult targeting likely Republican primary voters showed Trump’s support at 61%, far ahead of Governor DeSantis’s 18%.

Known as the 'Little Trump,' Governor DeSantis is expected to position himself as the 'future alternative' with his official candidacy announcement while highlighting Trump’s past reelection failure. On the 13th, he visited Iowa, the first Republican primary state, and said, "We must reject the culture of defeat that has spread in our party in recent years," adding, "If we look away or focus on past elections or other issues, the Democrats will beat us again, and this defeat will be very difficult to recover from," effectively signaling a challenge to former President Trump.

Recently, he has also taken a 'rightward shift' to make up for the continuing gap in support. During the COVID-19 pandemic, DeSantis solidified his conservative base by opposing quarantine regulations. More recently, he has sued Disney over the so-called 'Don't Say Gay' law, which restricts education on sexual identity in frontline schools, and dispatched 1,000 Florida police officers to the Texas border area amid concerns about a surge in illegal immigration.

Besides former President Trump, the Republican Party has so far seen official presidential bids from former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Other expected candidates include former Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Tim Scott, both of whom served in the Trump administration.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.