DeSantis, Newsom Debate Puts MAGA in an Awkward Spot

The upcoming debate between Governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Gavin Newsom of California has put MAGA supporters in an awkward spot.

Fox News announced on Tuesday that the two governors are going head-to-head in a November 30 debate moderated by anchor Sean Hannity, setting up a showdown between the nation's dueling political philosophies, with DeSantis representing conservative Republicans who have rallied around education bills and anti-trans laws and Newsom representing liberal Democrats who want to protect abortion rights and enact climate change policy.

But the choices in the "red vs. blue state debate" have put supporters of former President Donald Trump, who are more ideologically aligned with the earlier camp, in a tough spot. While most MAGA fans were widely supportive of DeSantis when Trump was in the White House, the governor's decision to run against the former president in 2024 has drawn the ire of pro-Trump Americans.

Those voters have attacked DeSantis incessantly, casting the Florida Republican as a state politician who is in over his head trying to compete against Trump for the GOP nomination. Even before DeSantis officially launched his campaign, many Trump supporters urged him not to jump into the race and suggested that he wait until 2028 so that he could be president after a second Trump term.

Things seemed no different after the latest debate announcement. MAGA supporters were quick to go after the governor, who has yet to secure the Republican nomination, for making the unusual decision to spar with Newsom, who is not running for president. Newsom has repeatedly insisted he is not running in 2024 and endorsed President Joe Biden for re-election.

A Wednesday interview with Los Angeles news station KTTV in which Newsom blasted DeSantis for "taking the bait" was widely circulated by Trump fans, who praised the Democrat for his remarks.

"Gavin Newsom BRUTALIZES Ron DeSantis," Jason Robertson, whose bio includes "#MAGA," said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "[To be honest] I can't say that Newsom is wrong."

"BASED Newsom," Trump supporter Eric Spracklen wrote on X. "DeSantis is a joke." Based is a term used online to express approval or agreement.

Another user with a bio that reads "Donald Trump's Top Guy" also commented on the clip, saying, "Lmfaoooo Newsom is clowning on DeSantis." In another post, the same account also wrote, "Extremely funny how Ron DeSantis' campaign has devolved to the point where he is just being bullied by alpha males like Trump and Newsom on a daily basis."

In the interview with KTTV, Newsom questioned why DeSantis would choose to debate a politician who is not running for the same party nomination, let alone for the same political office.

"The fact that he took this debate, the fact that he took the bait, in relation to this debate, shows he's completely unqualified to be President of the United States," Newsom said before asking, "Why is he debating a guy who's not even running for president when he's running for president?"

"This guy is distracted, so I don't know that he has it in his heart," the Democrat added. "Here's my personal opinion about Ron DeSantis, he regrets running for president. He made a huge mistake. He listened to his consultants, he bought his own hype. He had this little God complex...He bought into all this stuff, and he quickly regretted it, but he's stuck, and here's the problem: You get one chance at first impressions, and he's belly-flopped."

While other MAGA supporters were not as full-throated in their praise for Newsom, they admitted they thought the California governor would fare much better than the one from Florida in a debate.

"DeSantis doesn't stand a chance against Newsom," one Trump fan tweeted. "Newsom is scum but he has more of a command than DeSantis. Newsom will chew him up and spit him out."

"DeSantis is not on the same slimy, backstabbing, conniving level as Newsom who will do nothing but beat the hell out of him all night with cheap shots... he'll get cold feet rather quickly once Gavin starts chipping away at him not being much different at all than him actually in terms of policy," another user wrote, adding, "Only somebody with an iron resolve like Donald J Trump could go toe to toe with Newsom and come out on top."

On Thursday, conservative commentator Pedro Gonzalez criticized MAGA supporters for "celebrating" Newsom for going after DeSantis.

"I don't think MAGA understands how much they're guaranteeing that there won't be unity behind Trump as the Republican nominee," Gonzalez said. "You cannot side with the worst people in the country when it suits you and then turn around and demand unity. It's just not going to happen."

"People with MAGA brain only think in the short-term, and that's fine," he added. "But you cannot do this with Newsom and then whine when people don't care about Trump being attacked by the left."