Donald Trump has brutally mocked the glitch-plagued presidential launch of one of his key Republican rivals Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Governor DeSantis confirmed one of the worst-kept secrets in US politics on Thursday morning (AEDT) in a launch marred by tech problems and snafus.

He will face off against former president Trump and former South Carolina governor Nikki Hayley in the battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Mr DeSantis launched his campaign in a much-hyped interview with Twitter owner Elon Musk.

But it was beset by technical issues that prevented listeners from hearing him, and at one point used ‘elevator music’ when the live stream was cut.

Afterwards, Mr Trump posted a mock version of the Twitter interview with characters including Mr DeSantis, the devil, Adolf Hitler, Dick Cheney and Mr Musk, among others.

The reel pokes fun at the glitches until Mr Trump interrupts the conversation to declare: “Hold your horses Elon – the real president is going to say a few words.

“Ron DeSanctimonius can kiss my big beautiful 2024 presidential ass. Trump 2024 baby, let’s go.”

The DeSantis event was plagued by technical problems, as hundreds of thousands of users tuned in to hear Mr Musk and the discussion’s moderator, tech entrepreneur David Sacks, try to correct the problems.

“We’ve got so many people here that we are kind of melting the servers,” Mr Sacks said at one point.

At one point, the live stream was abruptly cut while music played.

“This elevator music will be in the next Trump ad,” one Republican strategist predicted.

In a text to US media, the strategist said:

“Fair or not, the Trump team is going to have a field day with the technical snafus. While this Twitter event might have been a first in social media & in American political history, it wasn’t the best opening for the DeSantis team.”

More than 500,000 Twitter users initially joined the event. It was ultimately ended and then restarted, delaying Mr DeSantis’ announcement by nearly half an hour. When it resumed – using Mr Sacks’ account – only about 250,000 users ultimately listened in.

Tweet from @AhmedBaba_

With a rising national profile and what are expected to be deep financial resources, Mr DeSantis, 44, immediately becomes Mr Trump’s biggest rival for the Republican nomination.

But polls show Mr Trump with more than a two-to-one edge over the Florida governor, who has long been considered a Republican rising star and the herald of a new generation of Republican leaders. Mr Trump, who announced last November, has also had a head start in organising his campaign in key early voting states.

“We must end the culture of losing that has infected the Republican Party in recent years,” Mr DeSantis said in the event with Mr Musk when it resumed.

“The tired dogmas of the past are inadequate for a vibrant future. We must look forward, not backwards.”

Supporters and donors will be keenly watching to see if Mr DeSantis takes the fight to Trump, who has relentlessly attacked him with little reaction. That has frustrated some of Mr DeSantis‘ allies, who wanted him to respond more forcefully.

Mr Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Twitter with 140 million Twitter followers, said earlier that his presence at Wednesday’s event would not constitute an endorsement but would reflect his desire to make the service more of a town square.

Later on Wednesday, Mr DeSantis was also expected to convene a meeting of his top donors at a Miami hotel, where they will immediately launch his fundraising efforts.

Mr DeSantis‘ central argument for his candidacy is expected to be that he is the only Republican who can defeat Democratic President Joe Biden, who beat Mr Trump in the 2020 election.

Mainstream Republicans will be watching Mr DeSantis carefully to see if he can recover from his missteps on foreign policy, such as his initial reluctance to express support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

In the weeks leading up to his presidential bid, Mr DeSantis has toured the US, visiting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire that will hold early nominating contests. He has boasted of his record as Florida’s governor, including his battles with the federal government over pandemic policies.

Mr DeSantis and his advisers were determined to wait to enter the race until the Florida Legislature could hand him a series of policy victories – and lawmakers have done just that.

He signed measures that severely restricted abortions in the state, made it easier for residents to carry concealed weapons, expanded a voucher program to allow students to attend private schools and eliminated funding for diversity programs at public universities, among other things.

Mr DeSantis remains in a pitched battle with Walt Disney over the company’s criticism of laws prohibiting the teaching of gender identity concepts in public schools. Disney has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Mr DeSantis of weaponising state government to punish its operations.

Other declared Republican candidates include Nikki Haley, former US ambassador to the United Nations, and Tim Scott, a US senator from South Carolina.