WASHINGTON — In recent weeks, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have increasingly traded barbs over immigration, education and cultural issues.
On Thursday, DeSantis, who's running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, taunted Newsom and asked why he won't get into the race himself.
"He has a real serious fixation on the state of Florida," DeSantis said about Newsom during a news conference to sign the state budget. "I mean, I think it’s just bizarre that he does that. What I would tell him is, you know what — stop pussyfooting around.
"Are you going to throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe? Are you going to get in and do it? Or are you just going to sit on the sidelines?” he said.
After the event, DeSantis' campaign tweeted that it's selling T-shirts emblazoned with the words: "STOP PUSSYFOOTING AROUND."
Newsom didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
DeSantis' recent decision to fly migrants from Texas to Sacramento, California, has further fueled their rivalry. Newsom said this month he believed that a crime was committed and instructed the state to launch an investigation of the DeSantis administration's actions.
“Now, who’s ultimately accountable and responsible? I mean, the buck should stop with Ron DeSantis and the games he’s playing,” Newsom said. “But it’s the folks on the front lines that were doing the dirty work. And that’s ultimately what we have to determine, is where the culpability lands and resides.”
Newsom also threatened DeSantis with kidnapping charges over the migrant flights and called him a "small pathetic man."
Newsom, who has been governor of California since 2019, ruled out running for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination last year, before President Joe Biden announced his re-election campaign.
In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity that aired Monday, Newsom again shut down any speculation of his jumping into the 2024 race, expressing support for Biden.
Only a few long-shot contenders have jumped into the race to challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination, and none are expected to defeat him.
