WASHINGTON 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis formally entered the 2024 White House race Wednesday, filing paperwork with federal authorities that sets him on a collision course with former President Donald Trump.

DeSantis is expected to publicly announce the start of his campaign on Twitter during an event with owner and tech billionaire Elon Musk, but his decision to file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission has placed him squarely in the running.

The governor from the state of Florida is the strongest Republican challenger to Trump, and the former president has spent months mocking his fellow Republicans in an attempt to undermine the launch of DeSantis' campaign.

DeSantis has firmly established himself as a conservative culture warrior, railing against the left while implementing new policies in the state that have restricted abortion rights, clamped down on LGBTQ+ instruction in state schools and expanded gun rights to allow residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit.

His policies have put him at loggerheads with Disney, Florida's largest employer that has stood against one of DeSantis's premier pieces of legislation, dubbed by critics as his "don't say gay" law. The fight led DeSantis to repeal longstanding special treatment given to Disney under state law and has prompted a series of lawsuits between the rivals.

DeSantis will now have to defend his record on the national stage.

A poll released last week has him trailing Trump by a wide margin of 43%. The poll from Morning Consult found 61% of primary voters would support Trump, while DeSantis received the backing of just 18% of respondents.

Former Vice President Mike Pence received 6% of the votes and former UN envoy Nikki Haley and fellow Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy each received 4%.