Gavin Newsom Raises Disney In Attack On Ron DeSantis’ Record – Debate Recap

Ted Johnson and Dominic Patten
·7 min read
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UPDATED: Sean Hannity was about the wrap up the debate after just over 90 minutes, as scheduled, but when he noted that he had more questions to ask, Gavin Newsom suggested they just go longer.

At first, they appeared to be going longer, but after a commercial break, Hannity announced that “by mutual agreement, both candidates realized they had other commitments and they couldn’t stay longer. I appreciate them all being here tonight.”

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So the debate is, in fact, over.

PREVIOUSLY: The Ron DeSantis-Gavin Newsom debate seems to have gotten only more heated as it nears its end point, as the focus turned to the homelessness issue.

It was a chance, again, for moderator Sean Hannity to contrast Florida more favorably than California.

DeSantis blamed California’s homeless problem on failed progressive policies, but Newsom made a point of bringing up the Florida’s battle with the Mouse House.

RELATED: Gavin Newsom Was The Unexpected Star Of The GOP Debate Spin Room

“Ask the folks at Disney about freedom and free enterprise,” Newsom said. The company is suing DeSantis, claiming he retaliated against Disney after it came out in opposition to a parental rights bill, dubbed at the “don’t say gay” law.

The Disney mention was fleeting, and Newsom didn’t bring up the fact that Disney also canceled plans to move thousands of jobs from California to Florida.

Earlier in the debate, DeSantis had actually tried to boast about assisting Disney during Covid, as he opened earlier in the pandemic and “we made them a fortune. We saved a lot of jobs. You had Disney closed inexplicably for a year.”

RELATED: 2024 Presidential Election Debate Schedule: Dates, Times, Who’ll Be There And Who Won’t

Another moment: DeSantis holding up a map that shows where human feces can be found on the streets of San Francisco. “You see that almost the whole thing is covered, because that it what has happened in one of the greatest cities this country has ever had,” he said.

PREVIOUSLY: Sean Hannity posed another question in line with the topics on his nightly show: Joe Biden’s alleged “cognitive decline.”

That naturally led to a question about Newsom’s presidential aspirations, as DeSantis accused him of running a “shadow campaign.”

But Newsom did not take the bait. “Joe Biden will be the nominee in a matter of weeks,” he said.

He also defended Biden, saying, “I’ll take Joe Biden at a 100 versus Ron DeSantis any day of the week, in at any age.” He then said, “The economy is booming. 5.2% GDP growth in the last quarter. Those are facts you don’t hear on Fox News.”

PREVIOUSLY: Sean Hannity has tried to stick to issues, even if they have been crafted to put California Governor Gavin Newsom on defense. But Newsom and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis waste little time in interrupting each other, to the point where Hannity has had to warn them, “Nobody can hear you.”

Hannity posed a Florida-specific question to DeSantis about the parental rights bill — dubbed the “don’t say gay” bill by detractors — that he signed last year. The Fox News host keyed up the question for DeSantis: Shouldn’t schools be focusing on reading, writing, science and math, “and maybe leaving values …to the parent and religious institutions?”

“What we said in Florida is that it is inappropriate to tell a Kindergartner that their gender is a choice. It is inappropriate to tell a second grader that they may have been born in the wrong body,” DeSantis said, “Parents have a fundamental right to direct the education and upbringing of their kids.”

Newsom compared the parental rights bill to the Briggs Initiative, the 1978 ballot measure that would have banned gays from teaching in public schools. Ronald Reagan, Newsom noted, opposed the initiative.

Newsom chided DeSantis for being on a “banning binge.” “I don’t like the way that you demean and humiliate people you disagree with, Ron. I really find this fundamentally offensive and this is a core value that distinguishes the value of my state, and frankly the vast majority of Americans against the weaponization of education,” he said.

PREVIOUSLY: Sean Hannity’s questions at the Ron DeSantis-Gavin Newsom debate quickly turned to one of the Fox News host’s favorite topics: The Biden administration’s border policy.

“California is a sanctuary state. They thumb their nose at federal immgaration law, and this has real consequences,” DeSantis said, accusing Democrats of wanting an “open borders.”

DeSantis also has taken credit for sending migrants to California from Texas.

Newsom noted that Biden has put forward a $14 billion border package for thousands of border agents and new technology. “You hear nothing from Ron DeSantis,” he said. “I’m the only guy here that’s a border state governor. You’re trolling folks and trying to find migrants to play political games to get some news and attention. You’re trying to out-Trump Trump. And by the way, how is that going for you? You are down 41 points in your own home state.”

Just about all of Hannity’s questions have been crafted to put Newsom on defense when it comes to California, whether it has to do with the crime rate, unemployment or migration. But he’s had to warn both governors that he doesn’t want to be a “hall monitor” as the two governors talk over each other at points.

PREVIOUSLY: The much promoted Fox News debate between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and California Governor Gavin Newsom opened with both trading sharp insults, before launching into comparisons of the quality of life in their respective states.

After moderator Sean Hannity opened with a question about the net migration out of California and into Florida, DeSantis focused on Newsom’s own record in the Golden State.

“You would almost have to try to mess California up,” DeSantis said, before he took a swipe at Newsom for his visit to the French Laundry restaurant in the midst of the Covid pandemic.

“You and President Trump are trying to light democracy on fire,” said Newsom, as he positioned the debate as a chance to promote the Biden-Harris reelection bid. He accused DeSantis of being on a “banning binge” and a “cultural purge.”

Then, in a dig to DeSantis, seeking the presidency as an alternative to front runner Donald Trump, Newsom said, “One thing we have in common is that neither of us will be the nominee in 2024.” That was likely an early effort to show that he does not have his own ambitions for the presidency next year as an alternative to Biden or a candidate waiting in the wings.

Very quickly, DeSantis and Newsom talked over each other, to the point that Hannity tried to take a pause and, in his words, “let things breathe.”

The debate is taking place in Alpharetta, GA, sans a studio audience. Hannity organized the debate following Newsom’s appearance on his show in June and, after some negotiation between both governors’ teams, it was finally scheduled last month.

The novel idea to feature the governors of two of the largest states in the country may ultimately prove to be more interesting than the next GOP debate. That gathering next week and hosted by NewsNation will be the fourth Republican primary event, but it is also unlikely to feature front runner Donald Trump, who has shunned the debates so far. It also may help boost DeSantis’ prospects, giving him his own platform as he has been battling with Nikki Haley for the No. 2 slot.

And while Fox News’ extensive promotion for the Newsom-DeSantis event has focused on the Red State vs. Blue State divide, including what is a better state to live in, the debate may ultimately come down to personality vs. policy, as the two governors have traded extensive insults in recent months.

“There’s a hunger in the country to an alternative to Trump and Biden,” Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum said in the minutes before the debate start. Newsom, of course, is not in the race, and Jesse Watters noted, “He can’t be too good, or else there is going to be civil war.”

The event may prove to be a ratings getter for Fox News and Hannity, who nevertheless noted at the outset, “I will be moderating this debate, I will not be part of this debate.” But his initial questions focused on the positives of the Sunshine State: Net positive migration and a better unemployment rate than in the Golden State.

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