Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis has officially entered the 2024 presidential race after his formal campaign announcement was marred by technical glitches on Twitter.
Look back on our blog to see how Thursday's events unfolded.
Key events
Live updates
We'll wrap up our live coverage here
By Jessica Riga
Thanks for joining us today for what was a very eventful day in US politics.
To recap: Ron DeSantis has officially entered the 2024 presidential race, but his formal campaign announcement was marred by technical glitches on Twitter.
You can look back on Thursday's developments below, or download the ABC News app and subscribe to our range of news alerts for the latest news.
More thoughts from you
By Jessica Riga
funniest thing since The Four Seasons Total Landscaping fiasco
- SW
I'm not sure whether to cackle or be horrified at the situation - Nick
Just joining us? Here's what to know about DeSantis's rocky campaign launch
By Jessica Riga
ABC North America correspondent Barbarba Miller says Ron DeSantis' much-hyped announcement on Twitter was beset by technical problems.
Missed that disaster of a Twitter Spaces event?
By Jessica Riga
Here's a montage of the many technical issues the plagued the discussion as more than 600,000 people "melted the servers," as Elon Musk said.
The choice to use Twitter means America has no 'visuals' of DeSantis as president
By Jessica Riga
Former US government official Kim Hoggard, who worked under Presidents Reagan and Bush, says Ron DeSantis' campaign launch on Twitter came off as a "bland announcement".
"The motto for his campaign is 'the great American comback' but the comback was delayed by 30 minutes," she told ABC News.
"The other thing that struck me about this announcement for a presidential run is that there were no visuals. This was like listening to a conservative radio talkshow.
"There's nothing for the American public, many of the conservatives who aren't on Twitter to begin with, to see him with some presidential imagery around him. There's no fireworks or American flags, ballons or crowds calling out his name. It was a very bland announcement which failed to launch."
You can watch her full interview with ABC News below.
DeSantis camp chalks up today as a win with '$1m raised in one hour'
By Jessica Riga
By North America bureau chief Jade Macmillan in Washington DC
Despite the early technical problems, Ron DeSantis' campaign is publicly chalking up today's launch as a win.
"There was so much enthusiasm for Governor DeSantis' vision for our Great American Comeback that he literally busted up the internet," his press secretary Bryan Griffin tweeted.
"Washington is next. $1 million raised online in one hour… and counting!"
DeSantis used both the Twitter event and the Fox interview to try to set himself apart from the former president, arguing he has a track record of winning elections and of delivering on conservative priorities.
Polls suggest Trump is still the leading candidate for the Republican nomination though, and if they're correct, DeSantis has a lot of catching up to do.
Interestingly, DeSantis never mentioned Trump by name
By Jessica Riga
For months, Ron DeSantis has been on the receiving end of a relentless barrage of attacks by Donald Trump, so many were wondering if he'd finally push back.
But DeSantis declined to mention Trump by name during his Twitter event and an announcement of his White House campaign earlier.
He only leveled two oblique critiques of Trump when he said "governing is not entertainment, not about building a brand," and when he denounced Republicans' poor record in recent national elections.
Biden's camp move quickly to post DeSantis video
By Jessica Riga
"No matter what happens, you can hear Ron DeSantis’ agenda loud and clear," US President Joe Biden writes.
DeSantis to declare immigration a 'national emergency' if elected
By Jessica Riga
The Fox News interview is over but I just want to quickly go back to this moment where Ron DeSantis was asked about immigration.
"We will move on day one by declaring a national emergency," he said.
"We will construct a border wall. We will make sure we have remain-in-Mexico… And we really need to hold the Mexican drug cartels accountable because they're facilitating a lot of this migration."
That's it for the Fox News interview
By Jessica Riga
Trey Gowdy says he "knows DeSantis has a young family" so he's going to "send him home" and promptly wraps up the interview.
The 35-minute Fox News interview was pretty wide ranging, with DeSantis asked about everything from abortion to climate change, Russia's war in Ukraine and inflation.
DeSantis kept reverting to the same points, repeating his war on "woke" and that he'd make moves "on day one."
He ended the interview by saying "no one is entitled to anything in this world."
Will DeSantis participate in all the debates?
By Jessica Riga
"I think we should debate, I think the people want to hear it," Ron DeSantis says.
DeSantis 'rejects the politicisation of the weather' when asked about climate change
By Jessica Riga
"The hurricanes have not increased in number," Ron DeSantis says.
"This is something that's a fact of life."
"I've already rejected the politicisation of the weather."
Speaking of day one, what's the first thing DeSantis would do if elected?
By Jessica Riga
Ron DeSantis says "the border."
He then lists "ripping out Biden's anti-energy legislation" and "reconstitutionalising the administrative state."
Interview moves to Russia's war in Ukraine
By Jessica Riga
When asked, as president, what he would do about Russia's war in Ukraine, Ron DeSantis instead speaks about how "our military has become politicised."
"That's not the military I served in," he adds. "People don't want to join a woke military."
He says he's take care of that "on day one," which is the third or fourth time he's used that phrase in this interview alone.
#DeSaster is now trending
By Jessica Riga
By North America bureau chief Jade Macmillan in Washington DC
This FOX News interview is already going much more smoothly for Ron DeSantis, who's tried to laugh off the technical problems he faced earlier.
"We had a huge audience, it was the biggest it ever had," he told former Republican congressman Trey Gowdy.
"It did break the Twitter space, and so we're really excited about the enthusiasm."
The governor has criticised president Joe Biden and repeated his claim that he's guaranteed of winning the general election if he's nominated as the Republican candidate.
Social media hasn't let the Twitter launch go yet, though – the hashtag #DeSaster is now trending.
DeSantis takes first swipe at media
By Jessica Riga
We're back from the break, and Ron DeSantis is asked if he would continue to keep Chris Wray as the Director of the FBI if he became president.
DeSantis says no, doubling down and saying "he'd be gone day 1."
"You need someone with a backbone," he adds.
He then takes his first swipe of the interview at the media, calling out The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times specifically, among others.
Anti-DeSantis protesters continue to gather outside Four Seasons hotel
By Jessica Riga
And we've reached our first commercial break
By Jessica Riga
The Fox News interview is going much better then the Twitter Spaces discussion, but that's not a tough ask.
DeSantis asked his role in culture wars
By Jessica Riga
"At the end of the day it's an attack on truth," DeSantis says, saying the only response is to "launch an attack on woke."
DeSantis asked about inflation
By Jessica Riga
It's only the second question and Fox News is already talking about 'kitchen table issues,' something the Twitter Spaces interview struggled to grasp.
When asked about inflation, DeSantis blames Biden, saying: "Of course the overspending is driving inflation."
