The official launch of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign for the Republican Party nomination for president appears to be imminent. SOPA Images/Sipa USA

Ron DeSantis will appear with billionaire Elon Musk during an online Twitter event Wednesday to discuss “important information about future plans,” officials with the Florida governor’s political team confirmed, the same day the Florida governor is expected to formally declare that he’s running for president.

The appearance, set for 6 p.m., will occur on Twitter Spaces, a platform for live audio conversations, an official said.

NBC News first reported DeSantis’ appearance with Musk, the industrialist and tech magnate who owns Twitter.

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Elon Musk at Kennedy Space Center, Saturday, May 30, 2020. Nigel Cook Imagn Content Services, LLC

Musk, whose popularity with conservatives has soared since taking over the online platform, has signaled an openness to DeSantis’ candidacy in the past. It is unknown, however, if he will endorse the governor’s candidacy during Wednesday’s event.

His support would offer a significant boost for the governor, who would be running against former Republican President Donald Trump in a GOP primary should he declare his candidacy.

DeSantis is holding a donor and supporter retreat starting Wednesday in Miami, with a more traditional campaign roll-out expected sometime next week.

By Tuesday evening, DeSantis was teasing a major announcement. His wife Casey DeSantis tweeted a video of the governor, his back to the camera, walking on stage against the backdrop of a giant American flag.

“America is worth the fight ... Every. Single. Time,” she tweeted.

The video asked viewers to text the word “launch” to a listed number. They then receive a text message in response thanking them for subscribing to “Ron DeSantis for president.”

“Pre-launch status: PENDING,” the text said.

This story was originally published May 23, 2023 3:21 PM.

AR
Alex Roarty has written about the Democratic Party since joining McClatchy in 2017. He’s been a campaigns reporter in Washington since 2010, after covering politics and state government in Pennsylvania during former Gov. Ed Rendell’s second term.