Ron DeSantis dares Gavin Newsom to take on Joe Biden in 2024
- Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis asks: ‘Are you gonna throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe?’
- Gavin Newsom, a rising star in the Democratic Party, has repeatedly said he has no interest in running for president
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida escalated his feud with California Governor Gavin Newsom, daring the West Coast Democrat to “stop pussyfooting around” and launch a primary challenge against US President Joe Biden.
DeSantis, who announced his presidential campaign late last month, took on Newsom during a news conference in Florida in which he was asked about Newsom’s recent comments to Fox News agreeing to a hypothetical debate with DeSantis hosted by Sean Hannity.
“He’s got huge problems in his state – I mean, like, huge problems in his state,” DeSantis said on Thursday. “Yet with all those problems, he has a real serious fixation on the state of Florida. I think it’s just bizarre.”
DeSantis then turned to the Democrats’ 2024 primary election, in which 80-year-old Biden is facing only token opposition.
“You know what? Stop pussyfooting around,” DeSantis said. “Are you gonna throw your hat in the ring and challenge Joe? Are you going to get in and do it? Or are you just gonna sit on the sidelines and chirp?”
DeSantis’ jab comes as he shies away from confrontation with his chief rival in the Republican Party’s White House primary, former president Donald Trump.
