Larry Elder's Presidential Announcement Sparks Avalanche of Jokes, Memes

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Radio host Larry Elder's 2024 GOP bid for president has been met with an avalanche of jokes and memes on social media, as members of the public apparently fail to take the 70-year-old right-wing commentator's candidacy seriously.

Elder, who ran unsuccessfully in California's recall election in 2021 against Governor Gavin Newsom, announced Thursday on Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News that he was running for president within the ranks of the Republican Party.

The Los Angeles Republican host said he saw running for the presidency as "a moral, religious and a patriotic duty to give back to a country that's been so good to my family and me."

Larry Elder
Gubernatorial recall candidate Larry Elder speaks to supporters at an election night event on September 14, 2021 in Costa Mesa, California. On Thursday, Elder announced he was running for president in 2024. Mario Tama/Getty Images

"My father was a World War II vet," Elder told Carlson. "He served on the island of Guam. He was a Marine. [...] My older brother, late older brother, Kirk, was in the Navy during the Vietnam era. My little brother Dennis actually served in Vietnam in the Army. I'm the only one who didn't serve, and I don't feel good about that. I feel I have a moral, religious and a patriotic duty to give back to a country that's been so good to my family and me. And that is why I am doing this."

On Twitter, he wrote: "America is in decline, but this decline is not inevitable. We can enter a new American Golden Age, but we must choose a leader who can bring us there. That's why I'm running for President."

But his announcement was met with mockery on social media.

"Nikki Haley must be thrilled to know she won't finish last now," wrote attorney Ron Filipkowski.

"Black community: nothing could be worse than [South Carolina Republican Senator] Tim Scott," wrote another Twitter user. "Larry Elder: hold my beer."

"He'd have a better chance jumping into King Charles' coronation. Larry Elder has been a joke since 1993," wrote another.

"Maybe he just enjoys losing," commented another one in one of many tweets mentioning Elder's loss to Newsom in 2021.

"I don't hate Larry Elder, but I don't really know what his angle is here," the conservative political account Red Eagle Politics said on Twitter. "There is a zero percent chance than anyone not named Trump or DeSantis wins this nomination, and probably around a 15 percent chance anyone not named Trump wins it."

The latest polls show that Donald Trump—who announced his third bid for the presidency in November—is the favorite GOP presidential candidate for 2024 among Republican voters, according to polling website FiveThirtyEight.

As of April 12, Trump led a list of potential candidates with 49.3 percent of the vote, followed by Ron DeSantis with 26.2 percent. The Florida governor has not yet officially entered the race, but his candidacy has been widely discussed in the past few months, with DeSantis being seen as Trump's main challenger inside the GOP.

Others have officially joined the GOP field for 2024, including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, whose popularity among Republican voters seems currently unable to match that of Trump, according to recent polls.

Newsweek contacted Larry Elder for comment by emailing the address provided for his signature show.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more