DeSantis vs Newsom face off on abortion, transgenderism, wokeness and more

While the debate between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom was unfolding on Fox News, the DeSantis campaign unveiled merchandise poking fun at Newsom for the state of San Francisco's streets.

"Thinking about visiting California?" the DeSantis campaign's website said. "You're going to need a pair of these. Order your California walking socks before you're dodging feces in San Francisco!"

The socks, which cost $37 on the campaign's website, were a reference to an exchange between the two governors related to which of their state's is the most free.

"Gavin Newsom, at one point tried to say that California was the freedom state. I just kind of laugh like you're locking people down you're doing all this but then I thought about it, California does have freedoms," DeSantis said on the debate stage.

"California does have freedoms that some people don't, that other states don't. You have the freedom to defecate in public In California, you have the freedom to pitch a tent on Sunset Boulevard. You have the freedom to create a homeless encampment under a freeway and even light it on fire. You have the freedom to have an open air drug market and use drugs. You have a freedom if you're an illegal alien to get all these taxpayer benefits. So those are freedoms. They're not the freedoms our founding fathers envisioned, but they have contributed to the destruction of the quality of life in California and the results speak for themselves."

Gov. Newsom responded by sarcastically saying he "loves" DeSantis's "rant'" on freedom."Here's a guy who's criminalizing teachers, criminalizing doctors, criminalizing librarians, and criminalizing women that seek their reproductive care," Newsom said. "You're making it harder to vote. You're banning books. I mean, spare me this notion of freedom."

During the debate, DeSantis held up a photo of a map showing all the spots where feces was reported by residents on San Francisco streets.

Gavin Newsom defended President Biden's cognitive abilities despite polls showing a majority of Americans viewing him as too old to run for re-election.

"I will take Joe Biden at 100 versus Ron DeSantis any day of the week at any age," Newsom said.

DeSantis jumped in asking Newsom if he thought Biden was up to the job.

Newsom began to say "absolutely," but stopped himself and said, "I've been spending plenty of time with Joe Biden, in private and public. And, by the way, results matter."

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., made high-stakes trips to both Israel and China that fueled future presidential speculation, though he told Fox News' Sean Hannity Thursday night that he will not be running.

The high-profile Democrat traveled to Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas, visitng with Californians who survived the attack.

"This trip builds up his credentials," seasoned Democratic communicator and strategist Chris Moyer, a veteran of multiple presidential campaigns, noted. "It could pay dividends for him later."

Newsom then traveled to China to talk climate change and target areas where California and the country can team up to reduce global warming emissions — including a focus on electric vehicles, high-speed rail, and offshore wind energy.

Despite his recent ventures sparking rumors of a potential 2024 presidential bid, Newsom continues to rally behind Biden in his re-election efforts.

Newsom has repeatedly emphasized his support for Biden’s re-election and has stressed it is time Democrats rally around the president.

"President Biden is going to run, and [I’m] looking forward to getting him re-elected. I think there’s been so much wallowing in the last few months, and hand-wringing in this respect. But we’re gearing up for the campaign," Newsom recently said during an NBC News interview.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' "cultural purge" of books is demeaning to parents.

"You want to roll back hard-earned national rights on voting rights, on civil rights, and LGBTQ rights, on women's rights, not just access to abortion, but also access to contraception. You want to weaponize grievance, you are focusing on false separateness. You in particular run on a banning binge, a cultural purge, intimidating and humiliating people," Newsom said.

"We actually require parental engagement on curriculum development, and we don't completely lie. We don't require K through third grade sexual education. That doesn't happen till middle school. What you're doing is using education as a sword for your cultural purge," he added.

DeSantis said in response that "everything should be age appropriate."

"So this is a book that's in some of the schools in California, Florida. This is not consistent with our standards called gender queer. It's some of it's blacked out. You would not probably be able to put this on air. This is pornography. It's cartoons. It's aimed at children and it's wrong. So this should not be in schools when people like on the left say that is not age appropriate," DeSantis said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom while the two debated on Thursday night after Newsom called California a "freedom state."

"Gavin Newsom, at one point tried to say that California was the freedom state. I just kind of laugh like you're locking people down you're doing all this but then I thought about it, California does have freedoms," DeSantis said on the debate stage.

"California does have freedoms that some people don't, that other states don't. You have the freedom to defecate in public In California, you have the freedom to pitch a tent on Sunset Boulevard. You have the freedom to create a homeless encampment under a freeway and even light it on fire. You have the freedom to have an open air drug market and use drugs. You have a freedom if you're an illegal alien to get all these taxpayer benefits. So those are freedoms. They're not the freedoms our founding fathers envisioned, but they have contributed to the destruction of the quality of life in California and the results speak for themselves."

Gov. Newsom responded by sarcastically saying he "loves" DeSantis's "rant'" on freedom.

"Here's a guy who's criminalizing teachers, criminalizing doctors, criminalizing librarians, and criminalizing women that seek their reproductive care," Newsom said. "You're making it harder to vote. You're banning books. I mean, spare me this notion of freedom."

Gavin Newsom interrupted Ron DeSantis during a discussion on school closures amid the coronavirus pandemic to scold him for how he pronounced Vice President Kamala Harris' first name.

"And by the way, it's not Kamala Harris. Shame on you. It's Kamala Harris, Ron. It's Kamala Harris, Madame Vice President to you. Kamala Harris," Newsom said, pointing to what he described as the correct way to pronounce "Kamala."

"Stop insulting," he added.

While clashing on public safety, DeSantis accused Newsom of prioritizing the interests of criminals over the everyday citizens of his state.

"When Californians come to Florida it's almost like an out-of-body experience. They can go to the store, get toothpaste off the shelf, pay for it and leave," DeSantis said.

"In a lot of these places in California, everything is under lock and key because they've basically legalized retail theft. They have chosen, in California, to put the interests of criminals over public safety," he said.

"They're easier on all these crimes that lead to a collapse in the quality of life," he added.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slammed Gavin Newsom for claiming he's trying to protect the Mexico-California border.

Newsom said that he is in favor of increased border security, to which DeSantis responded "You're just making things up."

"I'll tell you what, it's deja vu all over again with that flurry of lies. This is a guy that says the Biden administration is not lying to the public about the border. They go to the White House briefing room every day. They say the border secure. They are lying to you," DeSantis said.

Earlier, DeSantis said that Gavin Newsom along with President Biden had a vision of "open borders."

"They are poisoning our people, and Joe Biden is sitting on his hands. He refuses to take care of the border. He refuses to hold the drug cartels accountable," DeSantis said.

Ron DeSantis argued that Gavin Newsom, along with President Biden and Vice President Harris, had a vision of "open borders" for the U.S., contributing to things like the rise in fentanyl deaths.

"They are poisoning our people, and Joe Biden is sitting on his hands. He refuses to take care of the border. He refuses to hold the drug cartels accountable," DeSantis said.

"This is the vision of Biden-Harris-Newsom: Open borders, Americans suffer and Americans continue to die because of fentanyl overdoses. There will be, unfortunately, a terrorist attack at some point that we'll be able to trace back to our southern border," he added.

Newsom used a segment of the debate focused on border security to rip DeSantis for "trolling" and playing "political games" with the migrant crisis while also taunting him for trailing former President Donald Trump by a significant margin in his home state of Florida.

"I support border security. I think the asylum system is broken. I'm the only guy here who is a border state governor. You're trolling folks and trying to find migrants to play political games to try and get some news and attention so you can out-Trump Trump," Newsom said.

"And by the way, how's that going for you Ron? You're down 41 points in your own home state," he added.

California has some of the toughest gun laws in the U.S., requiring all sales and transfers – even from gun shows or private transfers – to pass through a licensed California dealer and undergo a 10-day waiting period.

No one in California under 21 may buy a gun, with a few exceptions such as active state or federal law enforcement officers, hunting-license holders, and/or active duty or honorably discharged military. 

Non-citizens must prove legal residence and registration to own a gun. Any resident must apply with local law enforcement for a concealed carry weapon license and carry permits from other states are not valid in California.

Californians are restricted to one handgun purchase per 30-day period and ammunition magazines able to hold more than 10 rounds are generally illegal unless owned in-state prior to Jan. 1, 2000.

Anyone convicted of infractions listed on the Bureau of Firearms website or held involuntarily as a danger to themself or others cannot buy or own firearms or ammunition. 

Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis accused Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom of being "joined at the hip" with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

"I'll give Gavin credit. He did at least admit in his first answer he's joined at the hip with Biden and Harris. He thinks Biden and Harris have done a great job, he thinks the economy is working because of their policies for Americans, and they are not," DeSantis said.

He was referencing Newsom's opening statement in which he said he was there to set the record straight about the Biden administration's accomplishments.

"And so, what California represents is the Biden-Harris agenda on steroids. They'd love nothing more than to get four more years to be able to take the California model nationally. That would be disastrous for working people," DeSantis added.

A liberal columnist posted a column in the Washington Post calling California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s alleged "shadow campaign" a "patriotic" move and slammed the Democratic Party for the "reckless gamble" of moving forward with President Biden in 2024.

"Here’s the reality: Whether you like Biden or not (I do, and I’m pretty sure Newsom does, too), the Democratic Party right now is taking a shockingly reckless gamble with the country’s future," journalist Matt Bai wrote in the Washington Post on Wednesday, the day before the highly anticipated debate between Newsom and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Bai outlines the recent prominent moves made by Newsom that have led to accusations from many  on both sides of the aisle that Newsom is running a "shadow campaign" to step in for Biden as questions continue to grow about his age. 

Bai then slams Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman, who publicly defended Biden’s re-election and dismissed Newsom’s potential challenge. Fetterman said earlier this year that Newsom doesn’t have the "guts" to admit he’s running and said anyone going against Biden is writing a "check for Trump."

At the start of the Fox News debate on "Hannity" Thursday night, Newsom again denied running a shadow campaign. "The one thing we have in common is neither of us will be our party's nominee in 2024," Newsom told DeSantis.

Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom began Thursday's debate by throwing shade at Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by telling him that neither of the men would be their respective party's nominee for president in 2024.

"There's one thing ... that we have in common is that neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024," Newsom said.

DeSantis has consistently trailed former President Donald Trump in the race for the Republican nomination, at times even coming in third.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom sparred over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic during the debate on "Hannity" Thursday.

DeSantis has touted his state’s record on handling the COVID-19 pandemic well before officially hitting the 2024 campaign trail.

"We were the leading state fighting against coronavirus lockdowns," DeSantis recounted in a summer 2021 interview with Fox News. "I believe had Florida not done that, you would see the other states to have followed Canada, for example, [which] is still locked down."

Defying federal guidance, in September of 2020 DeSantis lifted Florida’s ban on nursing home visits, saying it was important to let family in to offer emotional support to sick loved ones.

Nursing home patients “would just like to be able to say goodbye or to hug somebody," DeSantis said at the time, fighting back tears. "It's difficult to think that some of our actions may have prevented that."

In September 2023, DeSantis said he would not fund COVID-19 booster vaccines if elected president, promising first a "reckoning" when it comes to pandemic policies.

Thomas Phippen contributed reporting.

Violent crime in California has skyrocketed under Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom's watch.

Data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in early October shows that violent crime has decreased nationwide by 1.7 percent since 2019. But it has seen a drastic uptick in some cities and states, including California. 

In fact, the statistics show that violent crime is up 13% in the Golden State since 2019, when Newsom assumed office, the Wall Street Journal reported.

"Mr. Newsom touts California’s strict gun-control laws, but at least a fifth of its aggravated assaults last year were committed with a knife or blunt object," the publication reported. "Many of the state’s violent offenses are perpetrated by mentally ill or drug-addicted people living on the streets. Mr. Newsom himself was assaulted in 2021 by a homeless man in Oakland."

Meanwhile, in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis assumed office at the same time as Newsom in 2019, violent crime has fallen by 31.5% over the same period. 

The influential evangelical leader of a top social conservative organization in Iowa endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday.

Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader organization, announced his personal endorsement of DeSantis in an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News' "Special Report."

"We need to find somebody who can win in 2024," Vander Plaats said, pointing to the 2022 midterms, where an anticipated "red wave" never materialized for most of the country. DeSantis, however, won re-election in Florida by a wide margin.

Vander Plaats is a top social conservative leader in a state where evangelical voters play an outsized role in Republican politics. Vander Plaats backed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania in 2012, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in 2016 – all three of whom went on to win the Iowa caucuses, but failed to capture the GOP presidential nomination.

The big question going forward is whether the Reynolds and Vander Plaats endorsements of DeSantis, and the surprise backing of Haley by Popma, can make a dent in Trump's commanding lead over the rest of the field.

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on "Hannity" on Fox News Channel at 9 pm ET

California Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled to China in late October for a trip that was touted as an opportunity for him to talk about issues like climate change and the American fentanyl crisis with top Chinese leaders.

"I’m here in expectation, as you suggest, of turning the page, of renewing our friendship and reengaging (on) foundational and fundamental issues that will determine our collective faith in the future," Newsom said in brief opening remarks ahead of his meeting with Wang Yi, China's top diplomat.

Newsom's visit was highlighted by a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Newsom and Xi discussed ways to "accelerate our progress on climate in meaningful and substantive ways," the California governor said at a news conference, but did not mention more specifics. Newsom said they also talked about fentanyl, a synthetic drug and leading killer of young people in the U.S., and China’s role in "combating" the transnational shipping of precursor chemicals. Yet, Republican members of Congress have charged Beijing is fueling the flow of the chemicals cartels have pouring across the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Newsom's visit renewed accusations that he is running a "shadow campaign" for president to step in the 2024 race in case President Biden decides not to run.

Cities in California have consistently ranked among the dirtiest in the United States, a problem Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom has previously acknowledged. 

"The state is too damn dirty," Newsome declared in 2021 when he proposed the state budget. But the state's cleanliness appears to have not improved since that time.

According to Lawnstarter, which looks at 150 of the biggest cities each year and compares their pollution, living conditions, infrastructure and consumer satisfaction, many cities in the Golden State sit at the top of the list.

Seven of its cities are ranked in the top 20 dirtiest of 2023, including San Bernardino, which sat in the third spot; Bakersfield, which sat in the seventh spot; and Fresno, which sat in the eighth spot.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles is ranked the 15th dirtiest, while Modesta and Palmdale fell right after it. 

Overall, California had the most cities among the top 20 dirtiest.