California Governor Gavin Newsom and his Florida counterpart Ron DeSantis engaged in a heated debate on Thursday, touching on topics such as the 2024 election, their respective COVID-19 responses, and other policies implemented in the red and blue states.
The unusual debate between a Republican 2024 hopeful and a Democratic governor who is touted as a potential future presidential candidate was moderated by Fox News host Sean Hannity, who frequently had to try to stop the two governors talking over each other during the fiery exchanges.
Newsom attacked DeSantis for his stagnating presidential campaign, the death toll in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as his policies which target the LQBTQ+ community such as the so-called "don't say gay" bill. In response, DeSantis accused Newsom of running a "shadow" presidential campaign against Joe Biden, attacked him on issues such as crime and homelessness in California, and tried to tie the Democrat to the president, who is frequently recording low poll numbers heading into 2024.
For his part, DeSantis was more combative than he has been in the GOP primary debates, including one section where he attacked Newsom for not "honoring" parent's rights while citing policies in California.
If you're a parent in Iowa or New Hampshire, South Carolina, your minor child can go to California, without your knowledge or without your consent, and get hormone therapy, puberty blockers in a sex change operation all without you knowing or consenting," DeSantis said. "How in the heck is that honouring parents rights?"
Below, Newsweek has compiled some of the more heated attacks from Newsom against DeSantis during the 90-minute debate, as well as some uncomfortable moments for the Florida governor.
DeSantis Attacked Over 2024 Campaign
Newsom mocked DeSantis on several occasions over his struggling White House bid, where the Republican frequently trails former President Donald Trump in the GOP primary polls by wide margins.
"We have one thing in common: Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024," Newsom said, repeating his stance that he is not in the running to challenge Biden from the Democratic nomination next year.
'Out-Trump Trump'
Newsom also mocked DeSantis' 2024 campaign while attacking the Florida governor for his immigration stunts, which included transporting migrants from the border to Democratic areas such as Martha's Vineyard and California.
"You're trolling folks and trying to find migrants to play political games, to try to get some news and attention, so you can out-Trump Trump. And, by the way, how's that going for you, Ron? You're down 41 points in your own home state," Newsom said.
Give Nikki Haley a Chance
In another blow, Newsom suggested that DeSantis should step aside and allow former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley the opportunity to challenge Trump in the GOP primary. Haley's campaign has been gathering momentum recently, buoyed by a number of high-profile endorsements and strong performances in the live GOP primary debates.
"When are you going to drop out and give Nikki Haley a chance to take on Donald Trump?" Newsom asked DeSantis on Thursday.
Feces Map
In one of the more unusual debate moments, DeSantis pulled out a map showing areas where human feces was reported on the streets of the Californian city of San Francisco after Newsom was criticizing Florida for its mental health system during a discussion about homelessness in the U.S.
"We've gotten 68,000 people off the streets, close to 6,000 encampments, we've got off the streets. We've also invested in unprecedented resources in reforming our behavioral health system," Newsom said.
"Ron has literally the worst mental health system in America, forgive me, outside of Mississippi and Texas. And so, with all due respect of being lectured on some of these topics, Ron DeSantis is not the one I'm going to be listening to."
DeSantis then pulled out what he said was a map "where they plot the human feces that are found on the streets of San Francisco." DeSantis also attacked Newsom and the city by stating that they "cleaned it up when a communist dictator came to town," in reference to the recent visit to San Francisco by China's President Xi Jinping.
'You Followed Fauci'
Elsewhere, Newsom also accused DeSantis of hypocrisy in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and said that the Florida governor did take drastic steps to prevent the spread of the virus despite presenting himself as a hardline fighter against such restrictions.
"You passed an emergency declaration before the State of California did. You closed down your beaches, your bars, your restaurants, you had quarantines, you had checkpoints all over the state of Florida. By the way, I didn't say that Donald Trump laid you out on this, dead to right," Newsom said.
"You followed science, you followed [former White House chief medical adviser Anthony] Fauci. You were promoting vaccines, you even wore a mask in September."
'And for What, Ron?'
Newsom went on to criticize DeSantis for reversing lockdown rules early and not enforcing mask mandates in Florida, which he said resulted in the deaths of thousands of people in the state.
"He decided to fall prey to the fringe of his party, and as a consequence of that tens thousands of people lost their lives," Newsom said.
"If I had your policies, [there would have been] the equivalent of ten 9/11s. Tens of thousands of people lost their lives, and for what Ron?"
Demeaning LGBTQ+ People
Another attack line from Newsom was the Florida governor's banning of books in the education system in his state, with the Democrat accusing the Republican of using education as a "sword for your cultural purge."
"I don't like the way you demean people," Newsom told DeSantis. "I don't like the way you demean the LGBTQ community. I don't like the way you demean and humiliate people you disagree with, Ron. I really find this fundamentally offensive. And this is a core value that distinguishes the values of my state, and frankly, the vast majority of Americans against the weaponization of education."
Using Human Beings as Pawns
Reverting back to his criticism over his migrant stunts, Newsom accused DeSantis of using humans as "pawns" in his political games.
Newsom previously called for DeSantis to face kidnapping charges after a group of 16 migrants from Venezuela and Colombia were flown on a private flight from Texas to California before being dropped off at a church in Sacramento allegedly with DeSantis' approval.
"Lying to migrants, promising them jobs and housing, sending them to an island, Martha's Vineyard and then sending them to a parking lot in Sacramento, California," Newsom said.
"I met with those migrants that you lied to under false pretense, that kind of gamesmanship, using human beings, as pawns, I think is disqualifying."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
