DeSantis tells Newsom to stop ‘pussy footing,’ taunts him to run for president and ‘challenge Joe’
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis told California Gov. Gavin Newsom to stop “pussy footing” around in response to the Democrat offering to compete in a debate with the Florida governor.
Newsom has in the past said he would debate DeSantis, and this week repeated that sentiment.
DeSantis, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, mocked Newsom for not challenging President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination. Newsom has been perceived as a rising star in the Democratic Party capable of clinching his party’s presidential nominee in 2024 or 2028.
“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?” DeSantis said.
“Are you going to get in and do it? Or are you just going to 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 [in regards to a televised debate].”
#BREAKING: DeSantis on if he would take on @GavinNewsom in a debate, tells him to stop "pussy footing"
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) June 15, 2023
"Stop pussy footing around! Are you gonna throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe? […] Or are you gonna sit on the sidelines and chirp? pic.twitter.com/0r8jqM2Bla
Newsom was interviewed by Fox News’ Sean Hannity earlier this week, where the host asked Newsom if he would participate in a televised debate.
“I’m all in. Count on it,” Newsom said.
“You would do a two-hour debate with Ron DeSantis?” Hannity replied.
“Make it three. I would do it one day’s notice with no notes. I look forward to that,” Newsom said.
The California and Florida governors have been spatting on-and-off for months.
In September 2022, DeSantis mocked Newsom for calling for federal investigations over Florida migrant flights to Martha’s Vineyard, saying the California governor’s “hair gel is interfering with his brain function.”
DeSantis previously replied to questions on whether he’d debate Newsom in September 2022,
“Do you have any interest in debating good old Gavin Newsom on his record taxes, state income taxes?” he was asked.
“I don’t know if they can reliably keep the power on, so you go out there for a debate and what ends up happening, you know, if they can’t keep the lights on?” DeSantis said.
DeSantis made the comments at a press conference where he signed the “Framework for Freedom” budget into law.
