Sean Hannity (41:37):
Let’s move on to a topic that will seemingly play a very large role in the future elections, and it’s the issue of abortion. I have a question for both of you. I’ll ask you to please respect the individual’s right to answer uninterrupted. And that is Governor DeSantis. I think it’s actually your turn, Governor Newsom, if you don’t mind.
Gavin Newsom (41:59):All good.
Sean Hannity (41:59):
Most medical professionals believe a baby is viable outside of a mother’s womb by between twenty-four and twenty-six weeks. That is the general scientific consensus. It changes. There are some variations on it. Abortion is legal in your state up to viability is my understanding, unless the mother’s health is in danger. I’d like to get you on the record. You’ve been unwilling to answer this question. Should there be any restrictions on the issue of abortion that you support at all? Because funding in California, you have allocated in your budget 265 million for abortion last year alone. My question, very specific, do you support any restrictions at all on abortion, especially in months seven, eight, and nine, past viability?
Gavin Newsom (42:51):I’m going to answer that question, but let’s talk about the issue of abortion. Let’s talk about the issue of abortion.
Sean Hannity (42:55):Are you going to answer it?
Gavin Newsom (42:56):
I’m going to answer that question. I’ll repeat that, but I think this is important and it bears repeating. Ron DeSantis signed the most extreme anti-abortion bills in America. He signed a bill banning any exceptions for rape and incest, and then he said it didn’t go far enough and decided to sign a six-week ban. Before women even know they’re pregnant, Ron, before women can even access a doctor’s appointment. So extreme is your ban that criminalizes women and criminalizes doctors, that even Donald Trump said it was too extreme. On the issue of the extreme exception that you highlight as it relates to the issue of later-term abortion, it’s almost always because of a fetal anomaly, the life of the mother. And in those rare cases, and to answer your question, I trust the mother and her doctor to make that decision.
Sean Hannity (43:52):So in other words, I want to be clear on this. If a woman and her doctor, for any reason-
Gavin Newsom (43:57):Not for any reason.
Sean Hannity (43:58):No, no, no, no. I’m asking-
Gavin Newsom (44:01):It’s extremely rare.
Sean Hannity (44:01):Should there be-
Gavin Newsom (44:01):Because I know where you guys are going, Sean. You’re even uncomfortable with this whole issue. And I understand this is where you guys have to go-
Sean Hannity (44:07):I’m asking-
Gavin Newsom (44:08):… to cover for the extreme anti-abortion agenda of Ron DeSantis-
Sean Hannity (44:11):… should there be-
Gavin Newsom (44:12):… who’s hurt your party.
Sean Hannity (44:13):Would you support a ban on abortion in seventh, eighth, or ninth month-
Gavin Newsom (44:18):I just answered the question.
Sean Hannity (44:19):… if the mother’s life is not in jeopardy.
Gavin Newsom (44:21):It is an extreme, extreme exception. People aren’t going on and having abortions-
Sean Hannity (44:26):Should it be illegal then?
Gavin Newsom (44:27):… unless something devastating is happening.
Sean Hannity (44:27):Should it be illegal?
Gavin Newsom (44:29):It should be up to the mother and her doctor and her conscience, and it almost always-
Sean Hannity (44:34):So the answer is no restriction.
Gavin Newsom (44:35):I’ve already answered it.
Sean Hannity (44:36):No restriction?
Gavin Newsom (44:36):And I’ll just reinforce it. To cover up, again-
Sean Hannity (44:39):Okay.
Gavin Newsom (44:39):Hold on. For the most extreme abortion ban in the country. I have a simple question though. This is important.
Sean Hannity (44:44):No, no, no. I’m asking the questions.
Gavin Newsom (44:45):Ron DeSantis, will you or will you not sign a six-week ban in the unlikely case-
Ron DeSantis (44:49):[inaudible 00:44:51]-
Gavin Newsom (44:49):… President of the United States.
Sean Hannity (44:51):Let’s talk about-
Gavin Newsom (44:51):Would you sign a national ban?
Sean Hannity (44:52):Let’s talk about your state.
Gavin Newsom (44:53):He won’t answer that. He’s getting saved-
Sean Hannity (44:57):You had 15 weeks-
Gavin Newsom (44:57):… on a fundamental question.
Sean Hannity (44:57):
You had a 15-week rule in California. You reduced it to six. My question is this. What was your thinking behind it? Was it for religious reasons? Was it for scientific reasons? What was the reason for you from going from 15 weeks to six weeks?
Ron DeSantis (45:17):
Well, I believe in a culture of life. I think we’re better off when everybody counts, when everybody has an opportunity to do well, and that bill attaches when there’s a detectable heartbeat for the child. And some states have done that, some states have done others, some states have done later, and obviously they have a right to do that. But I think about one of our Floridians, a lady named Penny Hopper. She actually survived the late-term abortion back in the day, and they left her on the table there to basically wither away. Her grandmother came, saved her, brought her to a hospital, saved her, and she ended up living a good life, so she counts and she matters.
(45:59)
And I think that what the position that we have from the modern left, including in California, is that they will take your tax dollars and they will fund abortion all the way to the moment of birth. He’s wrong when he says the later terms are all because of this. 88% past 15 weeks are in fact elective from the Florida data. He doesn’t keep data there, but that is really extreme to take your tax dollars and to do this all the way up to the moment of birth. He didn’t answer your question about any type of protections at all for a baby that has a beating heart, that can feel pain, that is vital.
Sean Hannity (46:38):Let me… Hold on.
Gavin Newsom (46:39):Respectfully, this is an important conversation. Will you or will you not support-
Ron DeSantis (46:44):You didn’t answer Sean. Why didn’t you answer his question?
Gavin Newsom (46:46):Will you or will you not support a national ban if it lands on your desk? You couldn’t answer that in any other context.
Sean Hannity (46:53):Okay, gentlemen-
Gavin Newsom (46:53):Answer it tonight. It’s a simple yes or no. By the way-
Sean Hannity (46:55):We’re moving on to the next issue.
Gavin Newsom (46:55):No, Sean, not the next issue.
Ron DeSantis (46:56):You never gave a week.
Gavin Newsom (46:57):The American people should know this. I’ll answer it for Ron DeSantis. He can’t answer it. He will sign that extreme, six-week national ban.
Sean Hannity (47:03):Okay. Let me move on.
Gavin Newsom (47:04):The American people should know that.
Sean Hannity (47:05):I’m calling this the lightning round. It’d be great if you guys cooperated. I’m not a potted plant here.
Gavin Newsom (47:11):Good.
Sean Hannity (47:11):And I want to ask you, we all know that federal policy does have a huge impact on states. We know that. I’m going to ask you three simple questions and I just want one-word answers, okay? From the three of you, because-
Gavin Newsom (47:23):We’ll do our best.
Sean Hannity (47:24):… we’re coming up on a break. And the issue is right now Joe Biden as President. So I would like both of you to give a grade to Joe Biden overall as President. Governor Newsom, I’ll give-
Gavin Newsom (47:36):A.
Sean Hannity (47:36):A?
Gavin Newsom (47:36):An A. Absolutely.
Sean Hannity (47:37):Governor DeSantis.
Ron DeSantis (47:38):Failed.
Sean Hannity (47:40):A failure. Okay.
Gavin Newsom (47:41):No, that’s your opinion.
Sean Hannity (47:42):Number two, are his policies helping or hurting your individual states? Is it helping the state of Florida?
Ron DeSantis (47:48):Inflation is hurting our state big time.
Sean Hannity (47:50):Grade?
Ron DeSantis (47:52):Fail. He failed. He’s failed on the economy.
Gavin Newsom (47:54):This guy just $12 million from the-
Sean Hannity (47:55):Is it helping the state of California?
Gavin Newsom (47:55):… Science and Tech Act. Thank you Joe Biden. It’s absolutely accelerating our dominance in manufacturing and accelerating our revitalization in our state.
Sean Hannity (48:05):Okay, that was a simple answer.
Gavin Newsom (48:05):The answer is unequivocally-
Sean Hannity (48:07):Lastly-
Gavin Newsom (48:07):… absolutely yes.
Sean Hannity (48:08):
Okay. I will ask you, Governor DeSantis, I have played over and over again, and Governor Newsom, you have seen over and over again, Joe Biden has experienced what I believe to be significant cognitive decline. And in other words, it’s the toughest job in the world. Is Joe Biden experiencing this cognitive decline? Is it a danger to the country? Do you find when he speaks, what is your reaction to it?
Ron DeSantis (48:39):
Yes, he’s in decline. Yes, it’s a danger to the country. He has no business running for president, and Gavin Newsom agrees with that. He won’t say that, but that’s why he’s running his shadow campaign. He should not be running, he is not up to the job, and it is dangerous for this country.
Gavin Newsom (48:55):Well, I will take Joe Biden at 100 versus Ron DeSantis any day of the week at any age. In fact, all of the folks-
Ron DeSantis (49:04):Do you think he’s up to the job? Do you think he’s up a hundred percent?
Gavin Newsom (49:05):I’ve been spending-
Ron DeSantis (49:06):A hundred percent?
Gavin Newsom (49:06):… plenty of time with Joe Biden-
Sean Hannity (49:08):Let him answer.
Gavin Newsom (49:10):And by the way, results matter. Inflation now is down to 3.2%. Wages are up to 4.4%. The economy is booming. 5.2% GDP growth in the last quarter. Those are facts you don’t hear on Fox News. 14 million jobs, 10 times more than-
Sean Hannity (49:25):
Let me move on. That was the lightning round. Now, on March 31st, 1968, president Lyndon B. Johnson famously said, “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.” Now, despite being an incumbent president who is eligible to run for reelection, Governor Newsom, I have interviewed you twice on this issue. You say you are not running for president in 2024. In fact, you recently said, you think that Vice President Harris “is naturally the one lined up to run for president if Joe Biden war to bow out.” Governor Newsom, tonight I ask you, will you make an LBJ-like statement? And Governor DeSantis, you say he is running a shadow campaign. In your response, I would like you to answer that. Will you say, unequivocally, under no circumstances are you running-
Gavin Newsom (50:17):Correct. I don’t know how many times I can say, he’s just making this stuff up about a shadow campaign. Bottom line-
Sean Hannity (50:22):If at the DNC convention they come and ask you, “Will you run?” What will you say?
Gavin Newsom (50:26):Joe Biden will be our nominee in a matter of weeks. In a matter of weeks, Sean, he’ll be endorsing Donald Trump as a nominee for the Republican Party.
Sean Hannity (50:35):If they come to you at the DNC and Joe is incapable of running and they ask you, are you a hard no?
Gavin Newsom (50:41):
It’s not even an option. He’s doing fantastically. I appreciate and respect the work the President’s doing and the Vice President. It’s the Biden-Harris campaign and team, so absolutely, unequivocally, I look forward to continuing to support their efforts. President Biden will be reelected. Donald Trump will be rejected.
Ron DeSantis (50:58):
I think what he’s saying should color every single thing. I’ve called him on a lot of the lies, but he says Joe Biden is a hundred percent up to the job. You know that that’s not true. Look, he wants you to believe him over your own lying eyes. When he says the economy is so great, how great is it when you’re going to the grocery store now? How great is it when you’re trying to afford a home? How are those interest rates doing? What about affording a new car? So we have to get real here. We have to understand that Biden is not up to the job. But here’s, I think, the problem. What Biden would do, the people around him, they would look to California for the model to go forward in the next four years. That would accelerate the decline of this country. Freedom is what works. The failures need to be left in the dustbin of history.
Gavin Newsom (51:47):Tell that freedom to women that you’re trying to criminalize in your state.
Sean Hannity (51:51):All right, we’re retreating to old ground.
Gavin Newsom (51:52):Spare me this notion of freedom.
Sean Hannity (51:54):Gentlemen-
Gavin Newsom (51:54):Florida is not a state of freedom.
Sean Hannity (51:56):One of the things I wanted to accomplish here is the policies that you both implement have a great impact on the citizens of your individual states. For years, a gallon of gasoline, Governor Newsom, in California has been notably higher in your state than in the state of Florida.
Ron DeSantis (52:12):That’s right.
Sean Hannity (52:13):
Here are the numbers, by the way. Recent numbers. The average cost for a gallon of gas nationwide, just over $3.24, in Florida, $3.17. In California, it is a whopping $4.85. So Governor Newsom, I ask you, you’ve also sued big oil companies alleging executives have deceived the public about the health of our planet, knowing that it’s a polluter. If your lawsuit is successful, that would likely mean even higher gas prices for everybody. Here’s my question though. Could you name right now one source of energy that you can bring online in the next three to six months that would be as inexpensive for the people in this country as fossil fuels?
Gavin Newsom (52:59):Let me touch on-
Sean Hannity (53:01):Can you think of that energy?
Gavin Newsom (53:03):I’m going to get to the latter part of your question. Let me give the first part of the question.
Sean Hannity (53:07):Okay.
Gavin Newsom (53:07):
You’re absolutely right. Since the 1980s, Republican administrations, Democratic administrations, under their stewardship, have experienced higher gas prices in the state of California. We’ve been ripped off by big oil. We continue to be ripped off by big oil. Big oil now has met a new foe, and that’s the state of California. The most aggressive anti-gouging law in America. More transparency being required than any time in America. And yes, we’re suing. We’re suing the industry responsible for this climate crisis. By the way, the same climate crisis that Ron DeSantis celebrated as human caused, who campaigned for a fracking ban, who campaigned to oppose offshore oil drilling. And then two days after he got elected, signed an executive order. By the way,
Gavin Newsom (54:00):
Okay, Nikki Haley had you dead to right on this, Ron. Sign an executive order doubling down saying you’re adamantly opposed to fracking, adamantly opposed to offshore oil drilling. You were celebrated by the Sierra Club for that action, until you weren’t. Once again, it shows the hypocrisy of Ron DeSantis. Now you’re running away from climate change as things have gotten worse: hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and floods. $179 billion of weather-related disasters, and he has no response except talking points from big oil. We’re taking him on, and you know that we’re right.
Sean Hannity (54:33):All right. Governor DeSantis.
Ron DeSantis (54:35):
Governor, that was a mouthful. Again, just more lies, but here’s the thing. California is the only one that oil companies are gouging. Why aren’t they doing that to Georgia or Florida or these other states that have lower gas prices? Because of their policies. That’s why people are paying more there.
Gavin Newsom (54:48):Those bid oil companies-
Ron DeSantis (54:49):But what Gavin Newsom wants to do, what he’s doing in California.
Gavin Newsom (54:51):What you think this is the one.
Ron DeSantis (54:52):
What Biden wants to do nationally is government-dictated green energy policies. They want to kneecap fossil fuels and reliable energy. We’ve already seen what’s happened in California. They have rolling blackouts. He actually implemented a mandate-
Gavin Newsom (55:07):Okay. You’re confusing us with Texas.
Ron DeSantis (55:07):
… to buy electric vehicles. So pretty soon in California, you’re not going to be able to buy a normal car, only electric vehicles. And they celebrated that as like a great thing. A couple days later, there was a notice from the state government telling all EV owners, “Do not plug in your EV because they don’t have enough grid capacity.” So he is walking his people into a big-time disaster. What Biden wants to do is he wants to take the California model, he wants to impose that nationally. He wants to take away your ability to purchase the car that you want. He wants to kneecap reliable energy. And he wants to bring these rolling blackouts all across the United States of America. It doesn’t work. It’s going to cause huge problems. We have more energy here. We can be the dominant energy producer.
Gavin Newsom (55:51):
Apparently not in Florida. You opposed fracking.
Ron DeSantis (55:53):And that’s what we’re going to do.
Gavin Newsom (55:56):You opposed offshore drilling.
Ron DeSantis (55:56):Florida is not a big energy state.
Gavin Newsom (55:56):You opposed offshore drilling.
Ron DeSantis (55:57):We have the Marcellus shale. We have the West Texas. We have all of that.
Gavin Newsom (55:59):Hypocrisy, just rank hypocrisy.
Ron DeSantis (55:59):So let’s do that. No forcing electric vehicles.
Sean Hannity (56:03):We’ve got to take a break.
Ron DeSantis (56:04):Save the American automotive.
Gavin Newsom (56:04):Hypocrisy.
Sean Hannity (56:05):We come back, we’ll continue The Great Red State/Blue State Debate. More with Governor Ron DeSantis, more with Governor Gavin Newsom as we continue. Thank you for being with us from Alpharetta.
(56:16)
Welcome back to Hannity, The Great Red State/Blue State Debate. We continue with Governor Gavin Newsom, Governor Ron DeSantis. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, these are the numbers for the homeless population in each of your states. It is a big problem around the country. In the state of California, it is 172,000. In Florida it is 26,000. Now, the per capita numbers are pretty much the same. For California, it is 44 per 10,000 people, while Florida has 12 per 10,000 people. So Governor DeSantis, I ask you, why the disparity? What are the policies you are implementing that is different from that of California?
Ron DeSantis (56:58):
California is adopting leftist policies. Gavin Newsom was Mayor of San Francisco. He put out a 10-year plan like 20 years ago. He was going to end homelessness. Then a few years later, he had another plan. And now he says he’s going to do… And it’s only gotten worse. In the last 10 years in California, the homeless has gone up 45%. It’s gone down in Florida 45%.
(57:18)
But it’s caused a huge problem with quality of life in California. The people that flee always bring up this. They’ve really empowered lawlessness and drug use. And 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.”
(57:34)
But then, I thought about it. California does have freedoms 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. People are leaving the state because they have failed in addressing the homeless population.
Gavin Newsom (58:14):
Well, I love the rant on freedom. Here’s a guy who’s criminalizing teachers, criminalizing doctors, criminalizing librarians, and criminalizing women that seek their reproductive care. You’re making it harder to vote. You’re banning books. Spare me this notion of freedom. Ask the folks at Disney about freedom and free enterprise. Ask the folks at the Special Olympics, that you threatened to fine with $27 million.
Ron DeSantis (58:37):
Because they were discriminating against the athletes.
Gavin Newsom (58:39):Who goes after Special Olympics?
Ron DeSantis (58:41):You wanted those athletes to be out of there.
Gavin Newsom (58:41):When it comes to the issue, Ron-
Ron DeSantis (58:41):Kids with Down syndrome.
Gavin Newsom (58:41):… of homelessness.
Ron DeSantis (58:44):That is wrong. That’s being a liberal bully. That’s being a bully.
Gavin Newsom (58:46):Really? Attacking-
Ron DeSantis (58:47):They had Down syndrome.
Gavin Newsom (58:48):Attacking Special Olympics.
Ron DeSantis (58:49):And you wanted to discriminate against them.
Gavin Newsom (58:53):$27 million fine.
Ron DeSantis (58:54):They were discriminating against-
Gavin Newsom (58:55):To the Special Olympians.
Ron DeSantis (58:55):Because they were discriminating against the athletes.
Gavin Newsom (58:56):I find that disgraceful. On the issue of homelessness…
Ron DeSantis (58:56):They wanted to marginalize the athletes.
Sean Hannity (58:57):All right.
Ron DeSantis (58:58):And you wanted the athletes marginalized. That was wrong what you did. These are kids with Down syndrome-
Gavin Newsom (59:03):By the way-
Ron DeSantis (59:03):… that just wanted to compete.
Gavin Newsom (59:04):I grew up working aiding adoptions of Downs kids.
Ron DeSantis (59:04):And you wanted them, you wanted them out, kids with special needs.
Gavin Newsom (59:04):I’ve been working with Special Olympians all my life.
Ron DeSantis (59:04):You’re a liberal bully. You wanted them to be-
Gavin Newsom (59:04):How dare you. How dare you.
Ron DeSantis (59:04):You wanted them to be ostracized.
Gavin Newsom (59:04):You threatened to fine Special Olympians $27 million in fines.
Ron DeSantis (59:15):You should talk to Isabella from Florida. She got to participate because we stood up for her rights.
Gavin Newsom (59:19):This is the way you treat all… By the way…
Sean Hannity (59:21):Governor Newsom.
Gavin Newsom (59:21):No, hold on.
Sean Hannity (59:22):It’s your turn.
Gavin Newsom (59:22):No, no, but let me say. I can handle that. I can handle it. I’m used to that. But you know what?
Ron DeSantis (59:27):You wanted her not to compete.
Gavin Newsom (59:28):You attacks on the trans community.
Ron DeSantis (59:29):You told her not to compete.
Gavin Newsom (59:29):Your attack on the gay and lesbian community.
Ron DeSantis (59:31):That’s wrong.
Gavin Newsom (59:31):You attack vulnerable communities.
Ron DeSantis (59:33):She should have been able to compete. And we stood up for them.
Gavin Newsom (59:34):You attack women.
Ron DeSantis (59:35):And we made sure they could compete.
Gavin Newsom (59:36):Again, Ron. Relax. I can handle it. I’m used to bullying. You’re nothing but a bully.
Ron DeSantis (59:41):You’re a bully.
Gavin Newsom (59:41):I understand that. Intimidating and humiliating people, that’s your calling card.
Ron DeSantis (59:48):Why did you want the Special Olympians not to be able to compete?
Gavin Newsom (59:48):How well is it going for you?
Ron DeSantis (59:49):Why did you want them not to be able to compete?
Gavin Newsom (59:50):How well is this campaign going?
Ron DeSantis (59:51):Why do you not want them to compete?
Gavin Newsom (59:52):He’s not going to let me talk, so I’ll talk to the American people.
Ron DeSantis (59:54):I don’t understand why you would want to discriminate against an athlete with Down syndrome.
Gavin Newsom (59:57):Again, I’ll remind you. The blueprint-
Ron DeSantis (59:57)He wanted them to be excluded from the Special Olympics.
Gavin Newsom (59:58):The blueprint for Florida-
Sean Hannity (01:00:00):Let me, let me, let me.
Gavin Newsom (01:00:01):… has put Ron DeSantis-
Sean Hannity (01:00:02):Governor, if I can.
Gavin Newsom (01:00:03):… 41 points down-
Sean Hannity (01:00:03):Let’s go back.
Gavin Newsom (01:00:04):… to Donald Trump, as you try to get tough.
Sean Hannity (01:00:06):We said that.
Gavin Newsom (01:00:07):And out-Trump Trump.
Sean Hannity (01:00:07):Let’s go back to the homelessness.
Gavin Newsom (01:00:09):On the issue of homelessness.
Sean Hannity (01:00:09):Homelessness.
Gavin Newsom (01:00:10):
It’s been an issue for decades, decades in the making in the state of California, ever since we started shuttering down our mental health institutions back in the day, in Ronald Reagan’s day. The difference is I’m the first governor in California history to take this head on. We are investing unprecedented resources, more accountability. We’ve gotten 68,000 people off the streets, close to 6,000 encampments we’ve gotten off the streets. We’ve also invested unprecedented resources in reforming our behavioral health system. Ron has literally the worst mental health system in America, forgive me, outside of Mississippi and Texas. And so, with all due respect to being lectured on some of these topics, Ron DeSantis is not the one I’m going to be listening to.
Ron DeSantis (01:00:53):All right.
Sean Hannity (01:00:53):A 30-second response.
Ron DeSantis (01:00:55):All right.
Sean Hannity (01:00:55):Well, I’m looking at total time, Governor DeSantis. We have about two minutes left on this.
Ron DeSantis (01:00:58):Yeah. Well…
Gavin Newsom (01:00:58):So give him an extra minute. He needs it.
Ron DeSantis (01:01:00):This is a map of San Francisco. There’s a lot of plots on that. You may be asking, “What is that plotting?” Well, this is an app where they plot the human feces that are found on the streets of San Francisco. And you see how almost the whole thing is covered, because that is what has happened in one of the previous greatest cities this country’s ever had. Human feces is now a fact of life, except when a communist dictator comes to town. Then they cleaned up the streets. They lined the streets with Chinese flags. They didn’t put American flags there. They cleaned everything up.
Gavin Newsom (01:01:32):That’s just-
Ron DeSantis (01:01:32):
So they’re willing to do it for a communist dictator, but they’re not willing to do it for their own people.
Gavin Newsom (01:01:37):That’s just such, such nonsense, nonsense.
Sean Hannity (01:01:37):I want to get in with the limited time we have left. I want get… There are two very important issues we have not hit.
(01:01:42)
After the Hamas terror attacks on October 7th, we have seen what is nothing short of a disturbing outbreak of virulent hatred antisemitism around the world, in the halls of our Congress, on American streets, on college campuses. Last month, outside in Sydney Opera House in Australia, we’ve seen it all over Europe, but in Australia, anti-Israeli protestors literally in this day and age, chanting, “Gas the Jews, f the Jews.” In American cities, we have protestors calling for global Islamic war and demanding that Israel be wiped off the map, or in the words of Congresswoman Tlaib, “From the river to the sea.”
(01:02:24)
Israel, meanwhile is vowing to eradicate the terrorist group Hamas. But according to a report in The New York Times this week, US officials have warned Israel that they need to fight more surgically in Gaza. Governor Newsom, 30 seconds for you. We have to cut back on time.
Gavin Newsom (01:02:41):All right.
Sean Hannity (01:02:42):How can Israel win the war against this terrorist group using surgical strikes and directions from Joe Biden?
Gavin Newsom (01:02:50):
Well, this is the… I visited Israel, I met with families, hostages. I saw videos of children being killed in front of their parents, parents being killed in front of their children. I saw a beheading with a garden hoe. This is not complicated to me. This is a fight between good and evil. Hamas is a terrorist organization, and they need to be eliminated, not just for the people of Israel and Jews around the world, but for the Palestinians themselves.
(01:03:14)But when it comes to the issue of antisemitism, you just mentioned a lot of things that have been occurring on Ron DeSantis’ watch. He said nothing.
Sean Hannity (01:03:22):You’re calling him antisemitic?
Gavin Newsom (01:03:23):Mass men marching. I’m saying he countenanced antisemitism.
Ron DeSantis (01:03:28):No. He isn’t right.
Gavin Newsom (01:03:28):And now he’s finally talking a big game ever since October 7th.
Sean Hannity (01:03:35):All right.
Ron DeSantis (01:03:35):No. He’s not right.
Gavin Newsom (01:03:35):How about the mass man marching.
Sean Hannity (01:03:35):For the sake of fairness of time, gentlemen.
Gavin Newsom (01:03:35):“Jews get the rope.” You said nothing, Ron, nothing.
Sean Hannity (01:03:37):Governor DeSantis.
Ron DeSantis (01:03:37):No. I think that-
Gavin Newsom (01:03:37):Nothing on those issues. Look at the record.
Ron DeSantis (01:03:38):Hamas wants nothing short-
Sean Hannity (01:03:38):Governor DeSantis.
Ron DeSantis (01:03:40):
… than a second Holocaust. They want to destroy Israel and wipe every single Jew off the map. Israel has every right to defend itself to the hilt. Biden should not be knee-capping them in any way, shape, or form. And by the way, Biden stranded a lot of American citizens over there who were trying to get home. So I did an executive order in Florida, and we sent planes over to Israel right in the aftermath of October 7th. And we saved over 700 Americans, mostly Floridians, but not all, because Biden wouldn’t do it.
(01:04:08)
Finally, Biden started dumping people in Greece, and then they were sending a bill to the Americans just to get to Greece. If you come to this country illegally, they will pay to fly you all over the place. They’ll put you up in hotel at no expense. But yet, our own citizens fleeing a war zone, they’re going to send you a bill? Joe Biden failed those people and we stepped up and got them out.
Sean Hannity (01:04:27):All right. Let me ask you this. I want to turn to the-
Gavin Newsom (01:04:29):Well, you didn’t step up to quell antisemitism-
Sean Hannity (01:04:30):We don’t have a lot of time.
Gavin Newsom (01:04:31):… on your streets, for years and years, Ron.
Sean Hannity (01:04:32):Because I want turn to the issue-
Gavin Newsom (01:04:33):And you haven’t answered that question.
Sean Hannity (01:04:34):… of the government of China. I talk about this often, intellectual property theft, unfair trade practices, that China has been hostile to our fighter jets in international airspace, hostile to our Navy in international waterways. We know all about the China spy balloon that happened, eight days right across the United States over military installations. The Communist Chinese, they have nationals buying up thousands of acres of branch land, farmland, and land near military installations. Their hostility towards Taiwan. They are, Governor DeSantis, our number one geopolitical foe. I don’t see that the Biden administration has been tough with them. What would you do differently?
Ron DeSantis (01:05:14):Well, first in Florida, we banned China from buying land in our state, because you’re right. You don’t want them buying farmland or land near military bases. So we acted. We also got the Confucius Institutes out of our universities. China should not be involved in our universities at all.
(01:05:27)
What you need to do is you need to have hard power in the Indo-Pacific to deter China’s ambitions. You need to take the economy, and we need to decouple from China. We’re dependent on them for so many things. And then finally, we need to get serious about their influence in this country. They shouldn’t be able to buy farmland anywhere. I can tell you this, I would not go to China and grovel in front of Xi like Gavin Newsom did. He says China is a partner on climate change. China is adding two new coal plants every year. China is laughing at us with what they’re doing. So yes, they’re the number one threat we face, and we need to take it seriously. And Joe Biden is not doing that.
Gavin Newsom (01:06:05):
This is just a reminder. I think it’s a question some people are probably asking, I know Nikki Haley’s campaign is asking, “When are you going to drop out and at least give Nikki Haley a shot to take down Donald Trump in this nomination?” She laid you out.
Ron DeSantis (01:06:19):Please.
Gavin Newsom (01:06:19):You’re a walking hypocrite.
Ron DeSantis (01:06:20):You wish. You wish.
Gavin Newsom (01:06:22):You’re a walking hypocrite.
Ron DeSantis (01:06:22):You wish. I’m not.
Sean Hannity (01:06:22):What about China?
Gavin Newsom (01:06:23):On the issue of China, this is the guy that was looking for direct foreign trade from China, was doing trade.
Ron DeSantis (01:06:27):That is ballsy.
Gavin Newsom (01:06:27):Open up an awesome-
Ron DeSantis (01:06:27):That has already been debunked.
Gavin Newsom (01:06:30):It’s absolutely true.
Ron DeSantis (01:06:31):And you talk about liberal fact-checkers.
Gavin Newsom (01:06:32):You were aggressive there.
Ron DeSantis (01:06:32):Even the liberal fact-checkers did that.
Gavin Newsom (01:06:34):Donald Trump himself today-
Ron DeSantis (01:06:36):Please.
Gavin Newsom (01:06:36):… called you “Red Ron” for a reason.
Ron DeSantis (01:06:38):Please.
Gavin Newsom (01:06:38):Because of your complete hypocrisy.
Sean Hannity (01:06:40):All right. We’re almost out of time.
Gavin Newsom (01:06:42):This again, talking a big game. I confronted Xi on the issue of fentanyl, Ron. I confronted them on human rights.
Ron DeSantis (01:06:48):Not on human rights, you didn’t.
Gavin Newsom (01:06:48):I absolutely did, with the Foreign Minister and the Vice President and other leaders in China. You talk a big game. Meanwhile, you haven’t done anything except tweet things.
Sean Hannity (01:06:58):We’re over time. Final question. Governor DeSantis, we owe you about 90 seconds, but you get the last word, as per the coin flip.
Gavin Newsom (01:07:04):What are you giving me, five seconds? What do I get?
Sean Hannity (01:07:05):No, I’ll do a calc.
Gavin Newsom (01:07:06):All right, all right.
Sean Hannity (01:07:06):I’ll be a little more generous than that.
Gavin Newsom (01:07:08):All right.
Ron DeSantis (01:07:09):Please.
Sean Hannity (01:07:11):
Look. It’s been a very passionate debate tonight. Actually, it’s been fun to be a part of it. I think the American people will decide. Governing philosophies could not be more different. But let me ask you this, kind of a fun question. You both clearly love your states. You visited each other’s state. Governor DeSantis, you can take as much time as you want. You have an extra 90 seconds. What is your favorite thing about the state of California?
Gavin Newsom (01:07:37):Well, I’d give him five minutes for this.
Sean Hannity (01:07:38):Go right ahead.
Gavin Newsom (01:07:39):That’s a good question.
Sean Hannity (01:07:40):All right. We’ll stay longer. Five minutes, Governor.
Ron DeSantis (01:07:42):
When I got orders as a Navy lieutenant to go to Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, I had not spent any real time in California in my life, Florida native, and I’m very proud of the state. But I got down there, and that strand is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and then all up and down, just a tremendous coastline. I do believe California has more natural advantages than any state in the country, which is why when you have so many people leaving on net, that’s hard to do. People don’t want to leave there because it really is such a beautiful area. And I’m proud of the military installations that are there. I’m proud of what the Navy’s been able to do in conjunction with the state. It was really important duty. It really helped forged me as an individual and as an American. And so, I’ll always have very, very fond memories of that nice strand down there in Southern California.
Gavin Newsom (01:08:34):I love that. Reagan…
Sean Hannity (01:08:36):What do you love? Now what do you love? I don’t know what you love about California?
Gavin Newsom (01:08:37):Well, they used to call it California Coast of Dreams. By the way, look up-
Sean Hannity (01:08:40):What do you love about Florida?
Gavin Newsom (01:08:42):What I love about your question is the comedy in the question, meaning you know what? We all want to be loved. We need to be loved. We all want to be protected, respected, and connected. I think there is a unity frame here.
Sean Hannity (01:08:51):Okay.
Gavin Newsom (01:08:51):
You said it well. I have no doubt Ron DeSantis loves this country. I love this country. It’s not about red versus blue. It’s red, white, and blue, the United States of America. And I think we’re all better off when we’re all better off. And so, I appreciate this conversation. I appreciate you, Ron, being a family man. You’ve got three incredible kids. I appreciate your wife, your sacrifice, and I appreciate your military service. But I also appreciate we do have fundamental differences about the fate and future of this country, and that’s why I’m going to be working so hard to get Joe Biden and Kamala Harris reelected in 2024.
Sean Hannity (01:09:26):You couldn’t resist. You had to go right back to ’24. All right. Here’s a last question. Would you do this again?
Ron DeSantis (01:09:34):Well, you know what we should be debating?
Gavin Newsom (01:09:35):I hope we could do another half hour. I’ve got all night.
Ron DeSantis (01:09:37):Joe Biden should show up to a debate.
Gavin Newsom (01:09:38):Let’s keep doing this. That’s why I wanted to give him five minutes.
Ron DeSantis (01:09:40):Donald Trump should show up to a debate.
Sean Hannity (01:09:40):I have another 20 minutes, and I’ve got a lot of questions.
Ron DeSantis (01:09:43):I’m happy to.
Sean Hannity (01:09:43):You want to stay?
Gavin Newsom (01:09:44):Let’s just do an extended hour.
Sean Hannity (01:09:45):Do we want…
Gavin Newsom (01:09:46):I’m happy to do it.
Sean Hannity (01:09:47):Okay.
Gavin Newsom (01:09:48):This has been fun.
Sean Hannity (01:09:49):
I think it’s been fun and I think it’s been more entertaining, I’m sorry, to the guests that I’ve been invited. I’ve got to take a break, though, in the meantime. We’ve got to pay some bills. It’s not a cheap set we built for y’all. I hope you like it. Courtesy of your favorite channel, Fox News. And you do admit, you watch often. We’ll take a break. They’ve agreed to stay. Well, that’s I guess a debate on the fly. We’ll continue on the other side, and later have live post-debate coverage. We are in Alpharetta, Georgia, The Great-