Ron DeSantis Launches 2024 Presidential Bid: Here's Everything To Know About The Republican Candidate

After months of speculation, Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida has formally announced he is running for president. DeSantis has entered the space where Donald Trump is still dominating and has become the former US President's main contender.

"I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback. We know our country is going in the wrong direction. We see it with our eyes, and we feel it in our bones," he said.

Early Life 

Ron Desantis is an Italian-American and a Florida native with roots in the Midwest. He was a decent baseball player growing up and even represented Dunedin, Florida, squad in the 1991 Little League World Series. He first ran for Congress in 2012 and won his Orlando area district and went on to become the founding member of the far-right Freedom Caucus on Capitol Hill. 

After serving in Congress for three terms he successfully launched what was considered a short bid for governor and went on to win the race by less than 1 percent. 

DeSantis' Time In the Navy

This experience in the Florida governor's life remains largely unknown as he rarely discusses it. "This guy has the potential to run for president of the United States," said Yvonne Bradley, who represented Guantanamo detainees as a military lawyer at the time.

"I think it’s important for the story to get out." However, according to Tampa Bay Times, many interviews of navy officers said that DeSantis had access to the men held captive on the base, suspended in a legal and ethical gray zone. DeSantis on the other hand have only expressed admiration for the detention facility's operations. 

DeSantis' "War On "Woke"

The policies enacted by DeSantis have infuriated a major section of people and enflamed cultural divisions. He famously held a legislative session that suggested and established him as perhaps the most accomplished and stubborn conservative governor in the country's history. He signed the Parental Rights in Education bill, known as the "Don't Say Gay" law which bans any sort of discussion and instruction of LGBTQ issues in Florida public schools for all grades. He also signed the ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at colleges and universities. 

DeSantis' Net Worth

The person who poses a challenge to Donald Trump for the presidential nomination is surprisingly not worth a lot. The governor currently earns $140,000 and had a net worth of $340,000, which is less than an average American, as per Statesman.

A viral tweet read, "Is ANYONE asking how Ron DeSantis was worth $340,000 in 2020 and is now worth $52 million?" The tweet was shared more than 20,000 times despite being false and fueled several misleading comments. 

"This is corruption for sure," one user replied. "Kickbacks."

The tweet was obviously misleading, but that didn't stop it from being retweeted by Janet Long, Pinellas County commissioner and former Democratic member of the Florida House. Similar claims have surfaced online, however, the only credible figure suggests that his net worth is  $348,832 as of 2020.

It's been said that he also has assets in a USAA account, a government thrift savings plan, and the Florida Retirement System. So what's the real story behind the $52 million estimation? Well, he reportedly raised around $52 million as of Sept. 1, 2021, as per the publication, however, that cannot be counted as his net worth.