Gavin Newsom Calls on Disney to Attack Ron DeSantis’ Record – Update

TO UPDATE: Sean Hannity planned to end the debate after just over 90 minutes as planned, but when he realized he had more questions to ask, Gavin Newsom suggested he simply keep it longer.

At first it looked like they would stay longer, but after a commercial break, Hannity announced that “both candidates have acknowledged that they have other commitments and that they can’t stay longer.” I appreciate you all being here tonight.”

This effectively ends the debate.

EARLIER: The debate between Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom appears to have become more heated as it nears its end, as the focus shifts to the issue of homelessness.

For host Sean Hannity, it was another opportunity to portray Florida more positively than California.

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

“Ask the people at Disney about freedom and free enterprise,” Newsom said. The company is suing DeSantis, claiming he retaliated against Disney after the company opposed a parental rights law called the “Don’t Say Gay” law.

The mention of Disney was fleeting, and Newsom failed to mention that Disney also canceled plans to move thousands of jobs from California to Florida.

Earlier in the debate, DeSantis even tried to brag about supporting Disney during the coronavirus crisis, since it opened earlier in the pandemic and “we made them a fortune.” We saved a lot of work. They inexplicably shut down Disney for a year.”

Another moment: DeSantis holds up a map showing where human excrement can be found on the streets of San Francisco. “You can see that almost everything is covered because that’s exactly what happened in one of the greatest cities this country has ever had,” he said.

EARLIER: Sean Hannity asked another question related to the topics of his evening show: Joe Biden’s alleged “cognitive decline.”

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

But Newsom wasn’t buying it. “Joe Biden will be the nominee in a few weeks,” he said.

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

EARLIER: Sean Hannity tried to stick to the themes, even if they wanted to put California Governor Gavin Newsom on the defensive. But Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wasted little time interrupting each other, to the point where Hannity had to warn them, “Nobody can hear you.”

Hannity asked DeSantis a Florida-specific question about the Parental Rights Act — dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by opponents — that he signed into law last year. The Fox News host asked DeSantis: Shouldn’t schools focus on reading, writing, science and math, “and maybe leave values ​​… to parents and religious institutions?”

“What we said in Florida is that it’s inappropriate to tell a preschooler that their gender is a choice. It’s inappropriate to tell a second grader that maybe he or she was born in the wrong body,” DeSantis said. “Parents have a fundamental right to determine the upbringing and education of their children.”

Newsom compared the Parental Rights Act to the Briggs Initiative, the 1978 ballot measure that would have banned gays from teaching in public schools. Ronald Reagan, Newsom said, rejected the initiative.

Newsom chided DeSantis for his “prohibition boom.” “I don’t like how you demean and demean people you disagree with, Ron. “I find that fundamentally offensive and it’s a core value that defines my state’s and, frankly, the vast majority of Americans’ stance against weaponizing education,” he said.

EARLIER: Sean Hannity’s questions during the debate between Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom quickly turned to one of the Fox News host’s favorite topics: the Biden administration’s border policy.

“California is a sanctuary. “She turns her nose up at federal immigration law, and that has real consequences,” DeSantis said, accusing Democrats of wanting “open borders.”

DeSantis was also reprimanded for sending migrants from Texas to California.

Newsom noted that Biden proposed a $14 billion border package for thousands of border agents and new technologies. “You don’t hear about Ron DeSantis,” he said. “I am the only one here who is governor of the border state. They troll people and try to find migrants to play political games to get news and attention. They are trying to outwit Trump. And by the way, how are you? You are 41 points behind your home state.”

Almost all of Hannity’s questions are aimed at putting Newsom on the defensive when it comes to California, whether it’s crime rates, unemployment or migration. But he had to warn both governors that he did not want to be a “room monitor” as the two governors talked over each other on certain issues.

EARLIER: The much-publicized Fox News debate between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom began with an exchange of sharp insults before turning to comparisons of the quality of life in their respective states.

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

“You almost have to try to confuse California,” DeSantis said before blasting Newsom for visiting the French Laundry restaurant in the middle of the Covid pandemic.

“You and President Trump are trying to set democracy on fire,” Newsom said, positioning the debate as an opportunity to boost the re-election of Biden and Harris. He accused DeSantis of engaging in a “prohibition drive” and “cultural cleansing.”

Then, in a swipe at DeSantis, who is seeking the presidency as an alternative to front-runner Donald Trump, Newsom said, “What we have in common is that neither of us will be the nominee in 2024.” It was probably an early attempt to show that he is Alternative to Biden or a candidate in the starting blocks has no ambitions of his own for the presidency next year.

Very quickly, DeSantis and Newsom were talking so much that Hannity tried to take a break and, as he put it, “let things breathe.”

The debate will take place in Alpharetta, Georgia, without a studio audience. Hannity organized the debate after Newsom’s appearance on his show in June, and after some negotiations between both gubernatorial teams, it was finally scheduled last month.

The novel idea of ​​featuring the governors of two of the nation’s largest states may end up being more interesting than the next GOP debate. Next week’s meeting, hosted by NewsNation, will be the fourth Republican primary event, but it is unlikely to include front-runner Donald Trump, who has so far avoided the debates. It could also help boost DeSantis’ prospects and give him a platform of his own as he battles Nikki Haley for the No. 2 spot.

And while Fox News has focused its extensive promotion of the Newsom-DeSantis event on the divide between the red and blue states, including which state is better to live in, the debate may ultimately come down to personality versus politics. Two governors have exchanged extended insults in recent months.

“There is an appetite in the country for an alternative to Trump and Biden,” Fox News host Martha MacCallum said on the record before the debate began. Newsom is not in the running, of course, and Jesse Watters noted, “He can’t be too good or there’ll be a civil war.”

The event appears to be a contender for Fox News and Hannity, who noted at the outset, “I will moderate this debate, I will not be a part of this debate.” However, his first questions focused on the positive aspects of the Sunshine State: positive net migration and a better unemployment rate than the Golden State.