DeSantis, Newsom Hurl Insults During Debate

And Trump, of course, weighs in
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 30, 2023 10:09 PM CST
DeSantis, Newsom Hurl Insults During Debate
In this combination of photos, Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks on Sept. 16, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa, at left, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, speaks on Sept. 12, 2023, in Sacramento, Calif.   (AP Photo)

In an alternate reality, the prime-time showdown between California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday could have been a preview of a 2024 general election debate. Instead, the 90-minute meeting was a hard-to-explain event that pitted one struggling Republican presidential hopeful against a Democratic rival who may or may not seek the presidency in four years, the AP reports. But for a night, at least, the big-state governors were eager to represent their parties on the national stage as they battled over the economy, pandemic restrictions, and President Biden's leadership in a Fox News showdown peppered with fiery policy clashes and personal insults.

"This is a slick, slippery politician whose state is failing," DeSantis said of Newsom. Newsom defended California but also highlighted DeSantis' stagnant 2024 presidential bid. "How's that going for you, Ron? You're down 41 points in your own home state," said Newsom, who is backing Biden for president. "Neither of us will be the nominee for a party in 2024." The host, Fox News Channel, billed the 90-minute affair hosted by Sean Hannity as "The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate." Yet it was held in a television studio with no audience in Georgia, a location chosen for its key swing-state implications in national politics.

As leaders of two of the three most populous states, DeSantis and Newsom have spent much of the past year poking each other's policy choices and leadership style from afar. But on Thursday night, they got their first chance to challenge each other on the same national stage. It was hard to watch at times. The two participants, standing at podiums alone onstage, talked over each other often. Hannity struggled to control the action. Over and over, he encouraged the men to give each other "breathing room." Trading criticisms over their handling of the pandemic, DeSantis said Newsom's lockdown restrictions hurt working Californians while Newsom said DeSantis' opposition to those same restrictions cost thousands of lives.

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Meanwhile, Trump's campaign, aware that the unusual event was drawing national attention, unleashed a slew of fresh insults at DeSantis, one of his strongest Republican primary rivals, in a statement shortly before it began. "Ron DeSanctimonious is acting more like a thirsty, third-rate OnlyFans wannabe model than an actual presidential candidate," the Trump campaign wrote, using one of the many nicknames the former president has given his rival. "Instead of actually campaigning and trying to turn around his dismal poll numbers, DeSanctus is now so desperate for attention that he's debating a Grade A loser like Gavin Newsom."

(More Gavin Newsom stories.)

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