I was telling friends and colleagues I didn’t understand why DeSantis wasn’t doing a huge rally, and getting all the benefit from the images and message control that come with that, and then doing a Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk afterward.

I’m always open to the idea I’m too conventional, though — then there was that.

The good news is that there was no video (another reason why announcing this way was hard to understand), and that it’s still only May. But it means the formal announcement, which should bring a spate of good publicity, is going to have to be lived down.

Also, it was bizarre for someone who is a serious candidate for president to share so much time with Elon Musk and Co. (and not his wife and kids) during his announcement, and even weirder to hear the constant praise of Musk after the technical inadequacy of his platform was on such flagrant display. Clearly, this was a better idea for Musk than for DeSantis.

That said, the governor is knowledgable, cogent, and fluid. He’s impressive; this event was not.