POKING THE BEAR

DeSantis Taunts Newsom About 2024 Presidential Race

“Are you going to throw your hat in the ring?”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) took a jab Thursday at longtime political rival Gov. Gavin Newsom of California (D), trying to goad him into challenging president Joe Biden in the 2024 primaries. “[Newsom] has a real serious fixation on the state of Florida, I think it’s just bizarre that he does that,” DeSantis said at a Thursday event in Fort Pierce. “What I would tell him is—you know what, stop pussyfooting around. Are you going to throw your hat into the ring and challenge Joe?” Newsom and DeSantis’ rivalry has been longstanding. The two have contesting views on immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, gun control and other issues. But in the past few weeks, things have been heating up between the two governors after DeSantis sent dozens of asylum-seekers to California in a controversial political stunt. Newsom indicated that he has no plans to run for president in 2024. Clearly, that’s not stopping DeSantis from taunting him to change his mind. “Are you going to get in and do it, or are you going to sit on the sidelines and chirp?” DeSantis said. “So why don’t you throw your hat into the ring, and then we’ll go ahead and talk about what’s happening.”