Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) knocked California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Monday over his recent social media trolling of President Trump, saying the Democrat should focus on solving problems back at home rather than being “cheeky” with the president.
During an interview on Fox News’s “Hannity,” host Sean Hannity asked DeSantis whether he’d be interested in participating in another debate on the show between the two governors, both seen as rising stars in their respective parties ahead of the 2028 election cycle.
DeSantis welcomed the idea but said, “I know he’s not going to do that,” referring to Newsom. “I think he has settled into this being a troller of President Trump. It seems to get him some notoriety with kind of their far-left base.”
But DeSantis cautioned Newsom against becoming overconfident in the strategy.
“I will tell you, the average American watching this, they look at it the way you and I do,” DeSantis told Hannity about Newsom’s revamped social media strategy.
“Wait a minute, you’ve got problems in your state — of homelessness, people can’t rebuild, crushing taxes and regulations — why don’t you focus on fixing those rather than trying to be cheeky with the president of the United States?” DeSantis continued.
Newsom and his communications team have tried to mimic Trump’s rhetoric and social media persona in recent days, writing social media posts in all caps and borrowing some words the president uses, like “beautiful.”
Earlier this month, Newsom described his efforts as a “no regrets strategy,” telling The Hill he has to “fight fire with fire” to counter the Texas GOP’s push to redraw Congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Comments