Governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Gavin Newsom of California squared off in a nearly two-hour debate on Thursday that focused mostly on differences between their administrations of the two biggest states in the union but less on allusions to the ongoing presidential primary, in which one of the men is presently competing.
In his opening remarks to Fox News anchor Sean Hannity, who was moderating the competition, Newsom said, “There are profound differences tonight.” And I’m excited to talk to you about them. Ultimately, we share one characteristic, though: in 2024, none of us will run for party nomination.
It was an accusation that DeSantis, who repeatedly intervened and retaliated against Newsom over the evening, failed to refute.Ron DeSantis
Dubbed “The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate” by Fox News, the debate featured heated discussions on immigration, energy, tax, education, abortion, crime, and COVID-19 policies. DeSantis and Newsom both cautioned that if their opponents’ models were adopted nationally, they would be disastrous for the nation.
DeSantis said, “Gavin Newsom was San Francisco’s mayor.” Thus, he used the San Francisco model as a model for the collapse of California. The left now wants to use California’s failure as a blueprint for how America should collapse.”Ron DeSantis
The two men decided to debate each other in August, which resulted in a matchup between DeSantis, who is running for president right now and may run again if he doesn’t win the Republican nomination this cycle, and Newsom, a governor who is currently acting as President Joe Biden’s top surrogate and is thought to be a potential future presidential contender.Ron DeSantis
The debate took place around six weeks before the Iowa caucuses in January, which DeSantis desperately needed to win since he was far behind former President Donald Trump in both state and national polls.
At various times, Newsom brought up DeSantis’s polling disadvantage and reiterated criticisms leveled at him by Trump and other GOP primary opponents, including Nikki Haley, a former U.N. ambassador.
Newsom said that DeSantis was just “trolling folks” and “trying to find migrants to play political games, trying to get some news and attention so you can out-Trump Trump” during a discussion on immigration policy.Ron DeSantis
“And by the way, how’s that going for you, Ron?” stated Newsom. “You’re down 41 points in your own home state.”
DeSantis and Newsom have been criticizing each other’s leadership on their home ground for the most of the last two years, citing their respective governance as a counterpoint to their leadership at home.
Strong disagreements over COVID and education policy, which were the main topics of discussion on Thursday, were paramount for both men.Ron DeSantis
While criticizing Newsom for shutting down schools and businesses, DeSantis advocated for keeping establishments like Walt Disney World open as early as possible throughout the outbreak.
DeSantis said, “You were not following science.” Governor of a lockdown, that’s you. You caused great harm to your people.”Ron DeSantis
In response, Newsom said that DeSantis had first locked down businesses at the start of the epidemic and had acted on the advice of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who at the time was the country’s foremost authority on infectious diseases and whom DeSantis has been disparaging for the previous several years.
“You followed science; you followed Fauci,” Newsom said, adding that DeSantis had also donned a mask and advocated for the COVID vaccination in the past. “He decided to fall prey to the fringe of his party, and as a consequence of that, Ron, tens of thousands of people lost their lives.”Ron DeSantis
DeSantis retaliated by citing California’s protracted public school closures and claiming that Newsom is acting on behalf of teachers unions, who are significant Democratic Party backers.
“That’s why the kids were locked out of school for so long,” he said. “Joe Biden is in the pocket of the teachers union, and so is Kamala Harris.”Ron DeSantis
In response to DeSantis mispronouncing Harris’ first name, Newsom intervened. The two guys attempted to reprimand one another or spoke over one another on other occasions. While accusing each other of often lying about the other’s past, DeSantis referred to his California counterpart as “a slick, slippery politician.” The two guys alternately bemoaned to one another for browbeating other people at one point.
“You’re just a bully,” Newsom said.
“You’re being a bully,” DeSantis shot back. Ron DeSantis
Two times, DeSantis supported his claims using props. At one point, he produced a map that claimed to display recorded cases of human waste that had been reported on San Francisco’s streets. Another time, he displayed cartoon representations of sexual practices from the book “Gender Queer,” which was banned from being taught in Florida schools.Ron DeSantis
DeSantis’ framing of book limits in public schools was criticized by Newsom, who said that DeSantis was using his position in education as a “sword” to target LGBTQ Americans more broadly.
“I object to the way you disparage people,” Newsom stated. “I find it offensive that you disparage the LGBTQ community. Ron, I don’t appreciate how you denigrate and embarrass individuals that you disagree with. This is a profoundly objectionable idea that sets my state’s beliefs apart from those of, let’s face it, the great majority of Americans who oppose the weaponization of education.
The two also clashed on the state of the economy, with DeSantis citing high prices and California’s high cost of living in addition to Newsom’s support of Biden’s economic program.
“I’ll give Gavin credit; he did at least admit in his first answer that he’s joined at the hip with Biden and Harris,” DeSantis said. “In his opinion, Biden and Harris performed well. He believes that their plans for Americans are the reason the economy is doing well, even if they are not. Therefore, California is a more aggressive version of the Biden-Harris program.”
In response, Newsom said that DeSantis had pushed for $28 million in semiconductor and chip manufacturing investments made possible by laws approved by Biden. He also criticized Hannity for framing some of the questions and said that Fox News viewers were not receiving good economic news, such as rising wages, declining inflation, and a significant increase in the GDP in the preceding quarter.
Though it wasn’t a major topic of discussion, both candidates were asked whether they thought Joe Biden should serve another four years.Ron DeSantis
Yes, DeSantis said, “he’s in decline.” “The nation is in peril, yes. It is not his place to run for president. Gavin Newsom concurs with it as well. He refuses to say that. He is conducting his covert campaign because of this. [Biden] ought not to be a candidate. He is unfit for the position. and it poses a threat to our nation.”
Rejecting the notion that he’s waging a covert presidential campaign, Newsom said DeSantis was “making this stuff up.” He said that he “will take Joe Biden at 100 vs. Ron DeSantis any day of the week at any age.”
In just a few weeks, Biden “will be our nominee,” according to Newsom. “And in a matter of weeks, Sean, [DeSantis] will be endorsing Donald Trump as the nominee for the Republican Party.”
Hannity thanked both guys for participating in the discussion and concluded by posing the question of whether they would consent to engage in combat once again soon.Ron DeSantis
“DeSantis stated that Joe Biden ought to attend a debate.” “Donald Trump should show up to a debate.”
Original News : NBC News/Allan Smith
