Ron DeSantis has launched his 2024 presidential campaign with a Twitter announcement plagued by technical glitches.
He filed a declaration of candidacy with the US federal electoral commission on Wednesday and then announced his move in an online chat with Twitter chief executive Elon Musk.
But the audio stream crashed repeatedly, making it almost impossible for most followers to hear the 44-year-old Florida governor most of the time.
He said: “American decline is not inevitable – it is a choice.
“And we should choose a new direction – a path that will lead to American revitalisation.
“I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback.”
Mr DeSantis becomes the latest in a crowded Republican contest to decide whether the party will move on from Donald Trump in 2024 as it aims to retake the White House from Democrat Joe Biden.
Those already in the GOP field include Trump, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina senator Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson.
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Former vice president Mike Pence is also expected to announce his candidacy in the coming weeks.
Trump is leading in early polls but Mr DeSantis has generated some interest among Republican primary voters by presenting himself as a younger and more electable version of the 76-year-old former president.
In a chat with Mr Musk that lasted for more than an hour, Mr DeSantis did not mention Trump, but said: “Buckle up when I get in there, because the status quo is not acceptable”.
However, those trying to listen to his announcement had to battle being kicked off the feed, hearing microphone feedback, hold music and other issues.
Mr Musk blamed the popularity of the event and “straining” servers, adding: “You can tell by the mistakes that it’s real.”
But Mr DeSantis’s rivals were less generous, with Mark Harris, lead strategist for Ms Haley’s campaign, saying: “Failed soft launch? Check. Failed announcement? Double check.
“We look forward to Ron DeSantis’s failed campaign.”
Trump adviser Chris LaCivita added: “This is a disaster – not surprising.”
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Hours before Mr DeSantis announced his candidacy, Trump said on social media: “He desperately needs a personality transplant and, to the best of my knowledge, they are not medically available yet.”
Under Mr DeSantis’s watch, Florida has passed numerous so-called anti-woke laws, such as the heavily-criticised “don’t say gay” bill and a ban on teaching critical race theory.
He signed a law allowing Florida residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit, backed measures that weaken press freedom, and took control of a college he said was indoctrinating students with leftist ideas.
The Sunshine State has also been given new restrictions on abortion with a ban on terminations after six weeks – before most women even realise they are pregnant.
Mr DeSantis also removed an elected prosecutor who had vowed not to charge people under the abortion restrictions or doctors who provide gender-affirming care.
