The feud between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and California Governor Gavin Newsom has escalated yet again, with DeSantis urging Newsom to "stop pussyfooting around" about his presidential ambitions.
While Newsom has said that he has no plans to run for president in the immediate future, speculation about a run has intensified due to his repeated appearances on the national stage to criticize Republican politicians and policies in other states. Much of the recent criticism has been firmly focused on DeSantis.
Newsom called the Florida governor a "small, pathetic man" this month, while threatening him with kidnapping charges for purportedly orchestrating flights of migrants from Texas to California. He has also taken on DeSantis over issues that include abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, and his war against Disney.
DeSantis, who has an additional rivalry brewing with former President Donald Trump after challenging him in the 2024 GOP primary, shot back at his California nemesis during a speech in Fort Pierce, Florida, on Thursday, challenging him to take on President Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary.
"[Newsom] has got huge problems in his state ... and yet with all those problems, he has a real serious fixation on the state of Florida," DeSantis said. "I mean, I think it's just bizarre that he does that ... What I would tell him is, 'you know what? Stop pussyfooting around. Are you going to throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe?"
"Are you gonna get in and do it, or are you gonna just sit on the sidelines and chirp?" he continued. "So why don't you throw your hat in the ring, and then we'll go ahead and talk about what's happening."
DeSantis' comments on Newsom were in response to a question about whether he would be willing to debate the California governor on Fox News.
Newsom responded to DeSantis' remarks on Thursday with the following tweet: "So ... debate challenge accepted? Or do you need your notes for that, too? cc: @seanhannity."
So…debate challenge accepted? Or do you need your notes for that, too?
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 15, 2023
cc: @seanhannity https://t.co/5QqhgxY26H
During his recent interview on Fox News' Hannity, the California governor asserted that he was "all in" for a one-on-one debate with DeSantis, to be moderated by host Sean Hannity.
Hannity said that the proposed debate would be the first installment of a "great debates" series between "the best and brightest" conservatives and progressives.
"Great! I've been trying to debate [DeSantis] for two years," Newsom said. "I'm all in. Count on it ... I would do it one day's notice with no notes. I look forward to that."
"We can talk about his zest for demonization, we can talk about his assault on free enterprise," he continued.
Newsom also dismissed DeSantis' chances of winning the presidency during the interview, saying that the Republican had "bellyflopped" and that Trump was "going to clean his clock" in the GOP primary.
The Democratic governor denied having any 2024 ambitions of his own, maintaining that he had "great confidence" in Biden.
Newsweek has reached out to the offices of Newsom and DeSantis via email for comment.
