SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom sparred with Fox Information host Sean Hannity on Monday evening, insisting President Joe Biden is bodily match for a second time period as president whereas refusing to say whether or not supporters have urged him to run towards Biden on the 2024 poll.
Requested if he believes Biden is “cognitively robust sufficient to be president,” Newsom mentioned sure, including that he talks with the president “on a regular basis” and has traveled with him aboard Air Drive One.
‘You by no means answered my query immediately,” Hannity responded. “What number of instances does your cellphone ping a day, folks saying it is advisable to get on this race as a result of they agree with me that he’s less than the job.”
Newsom stammered considerably earlier than responding: “I am not answering.”
Newsom has repeatedly mentioned he has no real interest in working for president, saying he utterly helps Biden’s reelection marketing campaign. In April, Newsom raised cash for Biden throughout a fundraiser in Washington shortly after the president introduced his reelection marketing campaign.
However Newsom has continued to boost his nationwide profile, fueling extra hypothesis that he’s laying the groundwork for a presidential marketing campaign past 2024. After coasting to reelection as governor in 2022, Newsom took the tens of millions of {dollars} left over in his marketing campaign account to begin a brand new political motion committee.
Newsom mentioned he plans to make use of the cash to assist Democrats working for workplace in Republican-dominated states like Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi. Final week, Newsom mentioned the committee would marketing campaign for a twenty eighth modification to the U.S. Structure to harden federal gun legal guidelines.
Fox Information mentioned Monday was Newsom’s first interview on the community since 2010, again when Newsom was the mayor of San Francisco. Since then, Newsom has usually joined the refrain of criticism towards the conservative information outlet from Democrats who object to its protection of weapons and the way a number of the community’s hosts have embraced former President Donald Trump.
Final yr, Newsom conceded that Republicans have been “successful proper now” partly as a result of he mentioned Democrats have been too timid, giving conservatives probably the most compelling narrative over the airwaves. He has since opted for a extra confrontational fashion — which incorporates Fox Information. Newsom has mentioned he’s an everyday viewer of the community. Final yr, his marketing campaign paid for an advert on Fox Information in Florida and urging residents there to “be a part of us in California.”
“We’d like extra of those sorts of conversations, and we have to not simply accuse one another of deceptive the American folks, however I believe confront one another within the context of offering alternatives to deal with a number of the info which can be usually omitted by way of the conversations and matters we select to select up.”
Monday’s interview had loads of confrontation, with Hannity and Newsom usually speaking over one another. Hannity famous California misplaced inhabitants for the primary time in its historical past as a state whereas Newsom was in workplace, providing that as proof that the insurance policies of Newsom and his fellow Democrats have failed. That features California’s earnings taxes, with a prime charge of 13.3% that’s the highest within the nation.
Newsom pushed again that solely the rich pay that 13.3% earnings tax charge. He mentioned that prime tax charge was established earlier than he was governor, emphasizing that he has opposed new tax will increase on the rich, together with campaigning towards a proposal on the 2022 poll that might have raised taxes on the rich to pay for extra zero-emission automobiles and to assist struggle wildfires.
“I’ve by no means been a profligate Democrat. I’ve balanced budgets. We make the exhausting decisions. I am a enterprise man,” Newsom mentioned.
The interview was recorded beforehand in Sacramento earlier than airing on Monday evening. Hannity defended Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ use of taxpayer funds to fly migrants to California.
“You might be an open sanctuary state! Why do not you embrace them,” Hannity requested
“We embrace all people right here,” Newsom mentioned. “I sat down with these migrants. I talked to each single one in all them. They have been lied to, they have been misled.”
Nevertheless it wasn’t all criticism from Newsom. The governor mentioned he had an excellent relationship with former Republican President Donald Trump through the coronavirus pandemic, saying Trump “performed no politics throughout COVID with California.”
“I’ve obtained quite a lot of critique from the left by saying that,” Newsom mentioned.
Whereas the interview took up the total hour of Hannity’s present on Monday, the 2 males nonetheless had extra to speak about. Hannity mentioned the remainder of the interview will air later this week.