There are whispers that the governor of California, the state boasting the highest income tax rate in the nation, the highest poverty rate in the nation and the highest rate of people moving out of a state in the nation, is eyeing a bid for the presidency in 2024.
However, his recent trip to a Florida college and interview with former White House press secretary and current MSNBC correspondent Jen Psaki has many saying he’s off to a bumpy start.
A brief video of Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent visit to the New College of Florida captures an awkward moment as Newsom, who is markedly not religious, was obliged to clap along without singing, as faculty encouraged students to sing, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”
Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing writer for City Journal, mocked the governor, claiming the video depicts him acting like a “kindergartner.”
Rufo wrote: “Gavin Newsom booked a room at a public library near New College of Florida, told the audience he was ‘crawling out of my skin for you guys,’ and clapped along to the music like a kindergartner at storytime.”
“Serious Patrick Bateman vibes,” Rufo added.
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During his visit, Newsom boldly took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a very popular governor who many believe will soon announce he’s running for president in 2024. Since 2020, Newsom has been sharply critical of DeSantis for opposing various progressive initiatives.
During his stop at the North Sarasota Public Library, Newsom criticized DeSantis for his recent appointment of six conservative board members.
According to Florida’s Voice, Newsom spoke to an audience two dozen strong and discussed “everything from book bans to alleged infringements on voting rights in his speech before participating in a roundtable discussion with students.”
Newsom assured his audience, “I’m crawling out of my skin for you. I want you to know you’re not alone. You matter.”
Newsom also swiped at DeSantis’ politics and support of family-friendly values: “Fifty years of progress, 50 years on voting rights, on civil rights, LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, contraceptive rights, all of that at threat,” decried Newsom.
Criticizing Florida, Newsom continued: “State after state, led by your state and your governor with a zest for demonization and othering people.”
Newsom added. “He has one thing that is common with everything he’s doing – bullying and intimidating vulnerable communities. You’re not only on the right side of history; you have something he’ll never have – moral authority.”
During his recent interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki, Newsom disparaged DeSantis, saying of his potential presidential ambitions: “[The governor] should “pack up and wait a few years.”
In response to Psaki asking Newsom if DeSantis should be “running away from criticizing Trump,” Newsom said:
“He’s going to get rolled by Trump. Trump is just going to roll him. Thumped. I, honestly, if I were offering political advice, I would tell him to pack it up and wait a few years and actually do some of the hard work, which actually includes governing, not just identity and culture war.”
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