Well, that was something, wasn’t it?
Half a million people tuned in to hear the big interview with Elon Musk and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis via Twitter.
They waited with baited breath … and then there were technical difficulties. Lots of them. Including nine minutes of dead air, and the speakers being cut off at least five times. To say the operation from Twitter’s perspective was smooth would be inaccurate.
Musk was thought of as America’s next great, revolutionary tech genius. Wednesday night’s glitches will remind you of your grandpa trying to figure out Facebook for the first time.
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You can’t help but feel for DeSantis a little bit. The tech glitches weren’t his fault, although he did choose to make the announcement gamble on a novel and new platform. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott gave a rousing speech for his announcement. Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced his campaign with an interview on ABC News. They took the traditional route and didn’t hit any obstacles.
But still, let’s look at the substance, as DeSantis actually came off quite nicely, all things considered. Too bad it won’t be the mainstream narrative.
1. DeSantis proved himself to be the substance candidate. He was asked at length about his various policies and the negative connotations that came along with them for some. He spun his answers seamlessly. The point that stood out was the response to someone’s question about the NAACP issuing a travel advisory warning for minorities wanting to visit Florida. DeSantis noted that his state has the most amount of black owned businesses in the nation. That black kids had the best education in his state. He explained his divisive policy point by well, sounding the opposite of divisive. In fact, even supportive of the black community. It’s a contrast to Trump’s approach. He also shrewdly pointed out the high-ranking NAACP officials who have recently vacationed in Florida or call the Sunshine State home.
2. Musk played softball. DeSantis is known to only connect with those friendly to him. Musk never pushed back, nor did any of the others asking any of the questions. Nothing with statistics or extra research. And DeSantis got to avoid the awkward topic of the Ukraine flip-flop. It didn’t come up. If Musk is trying to be the next great debate moderator, he didn’t prove it here.
3. Biden wins, at least in a small way. He comes off, ironically, as the most competent guy in the field and might get some campaign cash out of this debacle. He even had a snarky tweet which might get some traction.
This link works: https://t.co/9PzIJkseYI
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 24, 2023
4. DeSantis had some new ideas that weren’t heard before. He promised to protect crypto currency and not allow the government to have a central digital bank. He’s crafting a solid libertarian message. Expect some of his ideas to catch on.
5. He still didn’t come off as likeable or that human. DeSantis sounded great with his policy pitches, but it lacked in human moments. He did crack a subtle joke at one point but it barely registered. Not a chuckle, and the only reference to his personal life was that he’s from the Tampa area and his dad was a blue collar worker in western Pa. He largely remained his robotic self, and he needs to change that image.
6. With his detailed policy points, he came off as the most conservative candidate in the GOP primary. His plan was to run to Former President Donald Trump’s right. He subtly indicated that he’d be following through with that initial idea.
7. He didn’t go after Trump and didn’t even mention his name. He wasn’t even asked about the former president. Dumb. His overly careful, fearful persona remains in the forefront of voters minds. Just kick the Goliath around a bit, or you’ll never topple him.
Patrick Bet-David might be joking, but he’s probably predicting the future, pointing out the most notable takeaway:
Breaking news!
80% of the remaining employees at twitter just got fired.
On a serious note, this just proves that even a big thinker as Elon Musk wasn’t expecting the LIVE to be this big.
Disruption is here at a level no one expected.
— Patrick Bet-David (@patrickbetdavid) May 24, 2023
Twitter is almost guaranteed to see a drop in investment. The question is, will it just be a passing fad, or will investors lose confidence in this emerging platform, ask Musk aims to be kingmaker?
For DeSantis, consider the whole thing a wash. He came off as smart and reasonable. Great. But nice? Funny? Likeable? Pugnacious? Aggressive? No, no, no, no and no. He did nothing to change his stiff and cautious image. It was everything pundits and voters expected.
However, DeSantis will live to fight another day and he certainly didn’t bomb. He did well enough. So this debacle won’t really hurt him in the long run.
For Twitter? Well, that’s a different story.
Our Patrick Bet-David shared his immediate reaction to the proceedings as only he can …
Biggest takeaway from tonight’s Desantis / Musk LIVE
1.Twitter needs to immediately move HQ out of California. There’s a resident in California named Gavin who’s not a fan of what he, Desantis and twitter stands for.
Not sure if something happened but ONLY THE PARANOID…
— Patrick Bet-David (@patrickbetdavid) May 24, 2023
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