California Governor Gavin Newsom attended the second Republican primary debate last night in place of President Joe Biden. He was purposely sent to the event by Biden’s campaign, who wanted him to serve as communications lead and spokesperson for the Biden camp.
Prior to the debate, Newsom went on CBS for a ten-minute segment to address why he was attending. The host began by citing a CBS poll that showed 44 percent of registered voters believe Biden would leave office before the end of his second term if elected. “It is what it is,” Newsom replied, “You can’t deny this snapshot of this moment in time.” He offered up a vague statement about manifesting and taking the future into one’s own hands, but then affirmed that he was going to the debate to “call out the BS and the misinformation” and make a case for the Biden administration’s record.
Newsom defended left-of-center positions on climate change, gun control, “LGBTQ” rights, civil rights, women rights, voting rights, abortion, crime, the border, and preventing Republicans from banning books. He also made fun of Ron DeSantis for being more excited than he is about their upcoming “governors debate” in battleground state Georgia. After the Newsom segment concluded, the CBS hosts discussed his comments and agreed Newsom is clearly running for president, whether for 2024 or 2028.
Newsom took to social media platform X a few hours ahead of the debate to outline the Democratic platform he might be running on. He also mocked the GOP debate, writing “What a clown show.”
Welcome to the freedom state, @GOP.
We believe in these crazy things here called:
– Free speech
– Gun safety
– Healthcare
– Social Security
– Climate changeoh… and… democracy.
See you tonight.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 27, 2023
What a clown show.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 28, 2023
After the debate, Newsom sat down with Fox News’s Sean Hannity for an interview. Hannity hit Newsom with hard questions out the gate, digging into him for defending Biden’s record and attempting to get him to admit he wants to be president. Newsom did not budge, and defended Biden all the way. Hannity then hit Newsom with the border topic, remaining incredulous as Newsom downplayed the extent of the crisis and claimed Republicans share part of the blame for it. He boasted about California’s GDP and its ability to attract tech companies, and touted its social welfare and healthcare programs.
Newsom did not flinch when Hannity asked him about high gas prices in his state, accusing oil companies for “price gouging” Californians. He touted his state’s new price gouging legislation, but did not offer any comment as to why his state had such higher prices than all other states in the nation. Hannity attributed it to environmental regulations California has placed onto oil companies, and asked why Trump did not have such problems when he was president. Newsom blamed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the actions of OPEC+. Newsom also claimed America is at a record for domestic oil production under Biden and said this was a good thing.
Finally, Hannity pressed Newsom on whether he would accept the Democratic nomination under any circumstances. “Of course not,” Newsom implored, and claimed it was a ridiculous hypothetical. “Biden’s our president,” he affirmed.
Newsom took questions from MSNBC as well, during which he criticized Republicans’ answers to inflation, economic growth, foreign policy, and said he “honestly believed” Biden was the winner of the night.
Gov. @GavinNewsom at tonight's RNC debate: "They identified problems, @JoeBiden has not only identified solutions, he's gotten them passed in a bipartisan way… so I thought @JoeBiden, honestly, was the big winner tonight." pic.twitter.com/qSAXEV7Fnm
— Brooke Goren (@BrookeGoren) September 28, 2023
When asked by News18 what he thought about the debate, Newsom replied that Trump was clearly the “dominant force” of the night and that the other GOP contenders are just wasting our time if they do not plan on distinguishing themselves from him.
Aside from Trump, @GavinNewsom was the Winner of the debate.
Right after, he has the balls to go on Hannity selling his ideas to the Fox audience?
Love or hate him, he’s the Trump of the left.
And he convinced a candidate (Desantis) to debate him? 🤔
— Patrick Bet-David (@patrickbetdavid) September 28, 2023
Newsom’s attendance of the debate has been perceived as a further sign that Newsom and Biden’s formerly fraught relationship, caused by differences over a farmworker unionization bill, is beginning to bloom into an alliance as Newsom continually makes the media rounds stumping for the Biden administration. He previously went on Sean Hannity’s Fox show in June to defend Biden and Harris’ accomplishments and told The New York Times earlier this month that it’s time to rally around the 46th president.
Newsom also keeps getting national headlines, creating suspicion that a Newsom shoe-in is still possible for the 2024 presidency. He appeared at the 2023 UN climate summit in Biden’s absence earlier in September, during which he delivered a speech denouncing the oil industry.
Add comment