WATCH: Ron DeSantis Drops Campaign Ad Announcing Run For President

Twitter/@RonDeSantis

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis formally announced his 2024 presidential campaign in an ad on Wednesday, just minutes before his technical difficulty-plagued event with billionaire Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces.

“Our border is a disaster, crime infests our cities, federal government makes it harder for families to make ends meet, and the president flounders,” said DeSantis in the video. “But decline is a choice, success is attainable, and freedom is worth fighting for.”

“Righting the ship requires restoring sanity to our society, normalcy to our communities, and integrity to our institutions,” he continued:

Truth must be our foundation and common sense can no longer be an uncommon virtue. In Florida, we prove that it can be done. We chose facts over fear, education over indoctrination, law and order over rioting and disorder. We held the line when freedom hung in the balance. We showed that we can and must revitalize America. We need the courage to lead and the strength to win.

“I’m Ron DeSantis and I’m running for president to lead our Great American Comeback,” the governor announced, before the video linked to a campaign donation page.

DeSantis’ announcement came months after speculation that the governor would enter the race and take on the Republican primary frontrunner, former President Donald Trump. Polls have consistently shown DeSantis to be the second most popular Republican presidential candidate behind only Trump.