Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom as he contrasted their respective states’ policies in an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“I think they’re getting all the big things wrong,” DeSantis told Bartiromo when asked about California’s policies. “Their streets are not safe because they’ve indulged in leftist ideology. The economy is really difficult for working people because they’re putting a left-wing agenda over the well-being of people who are working hard. So it will be an interesting debate.”
DeSantis and Newsom are scheduled to participate in a Nov. 30 televised debate hosted by Fox News’ Sean Hannity. The program will last 90 minutes as the Republican and Democrat governors trade barbs in Georgia over the state of the nation.
“The debate between Florida and California — that debate is over because people have voted with their feet,” DeSantis said. “I think California represents the Petri dish of American leftism. So whatever Biden is doing now, California is a few years ahead of where the left would want to go.”
The Florida governor claimed California’s expensive gas prices, high taxes and government intervention in the economy caused the blue state to bleed in population. (RELATED: Dem Strategist Doug Schoen Says Newsom-DeSantis Debate Is A ‘Direct Personal Insult’ To VP Harris)
“I was born and raised in Florida. I never saw a California license plate in my life growing up,” DeSantis said. “I become governor, and we start seeing all these California license plates in Florida.”
Newsom has yet to declare his candidacy in the 2024 presidential campaign. Many speculate he is a possible contender for the Democratic Party if President Joe Biden drops out of the race.
“They are going to try to impose California policies across the entire country,” DeSantis warned. “That would facilitate an even more rapid decline of this country, whereas Florida represents the opportunity to reverse the decline and usher in an American revival.”