- I'm Ron DeSantis and I'm running for president
to lead our great American comeback.
(intense music continues)
- [Narrator] Florida governor, Ron DeSantis,
has officially entered the 2024 presidential race,
after announcing his bid in a Twitter conversation
with Elon Musk.
- [Ron] Governing is not entertainment.
It's not about building a brand or virtue signaling.
It is about delivering results.
And our results in Florida have been second-to-none.
We can and we must deliver big results for America.
- [Narrator] After a big win in the midterms
and a successful legislative session in Florida,
DeSantis is looking to take his politics national,
going head to head with former president Donald Trump
for the GOP nomination.
- They are the top two contenders
for the Republican nomination at this point.
No one else comes close.
- [Narrator] But moving from state politics
to a national stage
presents its own challenges for DeSantis.
So what should we expect from the governor,
and what challenges lie ahead?
(somber music)
Once close allies,
the relationship between DeSantis and Trump
has evolved greatly over time.
- We need to elect Ron DeSantis
as your governor. (crowd cheering)
- [Narrator] Trump endorsed DeSantis
in the 2018 gubernatorial election.
- Mr. President, I look forward to working with you
to advance Florida's priorities.
I think you're gonna get tired of me calling you,
asking you for things for Florida.
- They felt similarly on a lot of issues.
DeSantis sort of championed those issues back in Florida.
The president had a real ally there.
That really came off the wheels recently
as the governor asserted himself politically
and began to look at a presidential run.
- [Narrator] Now, Trump's attitude toward DeSantis
has soured, often jabbing the governor
about sagging approval ratings.
- Let's see, there it is, Trump at 71,
Ron DeSanctimonious at 10%.
- He feels that the governor is disloyal,
that Ron DeSantis is not showing him proper respect
by challenging him for the presidency.
- [Narrator] DeSantis has largely avoided responding
to the former president's attacks.
- I don't know how to spell DeSanctimonious.
I don't really know what it means,
but you know, I kinda like it.
It's long, it's got a lotta vowels.
I mean, so. (Piers laughing)
We can go with that, that's fine.
You know, you can call me whatever you want.
I mean, just as long as you, you know,
also call me a winner.
- In order to win the Republican nomination,
Ron DeSantis is going to need a lot of Trump supporters.
So alienating those with hard-hitting attacks
against the former president could turn those people off.
- Donald Trump.
- [Narrator] Since winning the 2018 election,
DeSantis' popularity among voters has exploded in Florida,
illustrated by his landslide 19-point reelection win
in the November midterms.
And his popularity continued to grow
after he delivered several conservative policy victories
during the last legislative session in Florida.
From restrictions on drag shows
to limiting spending on diversity programs in colleges,
DeSantis' policies have made national headlines
and will likely serve as the backbone
for his presidential campaign
as he tries to win over a wider range of voters.
- He'll be able to say, "Look how effective I was.
I got X, Y, and X done."
Versus, you know, some of the struggles
that Trump as president had getting his agenda passed.
- [Narrator] Other bills endorsed by DeSantis
include allowing concealed handguns without a permit
and a strick six-week abortion ban.
While those policies may serve DeSantis well
in the primaries, they could also prove
to be a challenge for him in the general election.
In a "Wall Street Journal" poll
asking about the right to carry a concealed handgun
without a permit,
56% of Republican primary voters
said they support that right.
While nationwide, 65% of overall voters were in opposition.
And for the six-week abortion ban,
68% of Republican primary voters favored the ban,
but 53% of voters overall opposed it.
- The abortion issue is very complex.
It's controversial.
Six weeks is seen as pretty extreme by a lot of people.
- [Narrator] DeSantis is also preparing
to challenge the incumbent president, Joe Biden,
who along with Trump has experience running
in presidential elections and winning them.
- DeSantis is not tested on a national stage.
He doesn't have the experience dealing
with world leaders or major global issues.
So that'll be something that both Trump and Biden
would use against Ron DeSantis.
- [Narrator] DeSantis now joins a growing swath
of Republican candidates in the race,
including Trump, former South Carolina governor,
Nikki Haley, and South Carolina senator, Tim Scott,
with the potential for others,
including former vice president Mike Pence,
who may announce in the coming months.
- Right now, it's down to Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.
It's their fight to lose.
Republicans are hungry for someone
who can get something done.
There's a number of other Republicans
that are vying for this and they're gonna be looking
especially to see if Ron DeSantis stumbles.
Essentially, if you boil down Ron DeSantis' argument is,
"I am effective.
I can carry on the agenda that Donald Trump kinda started
but actually get it passed."
(light music continues)