Los Angeles Times

Does announcing for president on Twitter prove Ron DeSantis is too online?

This photo illustration shows the live Twitter talk with Elon Musk on a background of Ron DeSantis as he announces his 2024 presidential run on his Twitter page, on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, in Los Angeles.

WASHINGTON — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential announcement Wednesday — a glitchy live broadcast on Twitter — was the latest example of the Republican candidate's all-out effort to court his party's most online activists.

The governor loves to latch on to online conservatives' obsessions, niche or otherwise.

Wednesday's announcement, like his speeches, was laden with attacks on acronyms such as ESG, DEI and CRT, which only the most plugged-in partisans can quickly identify as "environmental, social and governance" and "diversity, equity and inclusion" goals for companies and organizations and "critical race theory" taught on some university campuses.

Most high-school students don't take even one Advanced Placement exam, but DeSantis picked a fight this year with the College Board over its AP African American history curriculum. And although almost every

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