In an interview with anchor Elex Michaelson, California Governor Gavin Newsom grimaced when Michaelson mentioned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and asked Newsom if he had ever met him.
Gavin Newsom recoils physically when he envisages meeting Ron DeSantis
Exclusive: @GavinNewsom told me he’s never met @RonDeSantisFL.I asked him what he would say to him if he did?”Stop being a bully. Stop belittling people who look differently, act differently love different. Who the hell are you? Stop!”Full interview on @TheIssueIsShow pic.twitter.com/drDFG4kZZP— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) July 15, 2022
When asked what he would say to the Florida Governor, should he ever have a face-to-face meeting with him, Gavin Newsom replied, with a hint of indignation in his tone, saying, “Stop being a bully. Stop belittling people that look differently, act differently, love differently. Who the hell are you? Stop! Stop threatening people. Stop being so coercive.”
The California Governor’s comments were referring to the laws that Ron DeSantis recently introduced in Florida, which Gavin Newsom has been highly critical of. Newsom’s preferred target has been the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, that has prohibited the discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten level classrooms through third grade, in all public schools of Florida.
In California, “we still believe in freedom”, says Governor Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom’s interview with the Fox 11 host came just 10 days after his re-election campaign started running cable advertisements on the channel in Florida. In those 30-second ads, the California Governor targeted DeSantis for a number of policies including the ”Don’t Say Gay’ bill. Gavin Newsom also encouraged dissatisfied Floridians to move into California, where, according to Newsom, “we still believe in freedom.”
Besides the Florida Governor, Newsom also mentioned Greg Abbott during the interview on Thursday. He was critical of the Texas Governor’s recently announced decision to prevent undocumented immigrants in his state from accessing free public schools. Newsom compared the decision to the infamous Proposition-187 of California, a ballot initiative passed by state voters in 1994, which banned undocumented immigrants from using state services like public education and non-emergency healthcare, before being struck down by a federal district court.
“Look what Abbott is doing. Abbott is talking about eliminating a fundamental right for people, regardless of their immigration status, to get an education,” said Gavin Newsom. “This is a real moment for diverse communities, and it’s not just DeSantis,it’s Abbott, it’s Kentucky, it’s South Dakota, you go down the list [and] with these red states there’s a ruthlessness.”
Also Read: Gavin Newsom made his first post on Truth social
Newsom reveals intention behind targeting DeSantis in ad
We’re about to celebrate Independence Day — but Freedom is under attack by Republican leaders in states like Florida.
Banning books.
Restricting speech.
Making it harder to vote.
Criminalizing women and doctors.It’s time to stand up. Don’t let them take your freedom. pic.twitter.com/cFI5UzgZzX— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 3, 2022
Gavin Newsom revealed that he went after DeSantis because of the recent actions taken by the Florida Governor against the Special Olympics. The state of Florida threatened to impose a fine of $27.5 million on the organization, if it failed to remove its Covid 10 vaccine mandate before the 2022 USA games.
“He did something that tipped me very directly, and that was going after the Special Olympics,” Newsom said to a news outlet. “That led to the consideration of doing something a little bit more expressive and that was the determination on the ad,” he added.
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Ron DeSantis tears a strip from Newsom in response to the California governor’s attack
