Ron DeSantis pulled out a map of human feces on the streets of San Francisco and took aim at the city's homelessness and crime in his fiery debate with California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday evening.
Newsom, a Democrat, claimed he had taken 68,000 people off the streets and closed 6,000 homeless encampments when Florida's governor brought out the visual aid.
“You might be wondering, 'What kind of plot is that?' This is an app where they map the human feces found on the streets of San Francisco,” said Republican Governor DeSantis. “That's what happened in one of the greatest cities this country has ever had.”
He then blasted Newsom for cleaning up the mess ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit earlier this month, once the tense confrontation wrapped up.
The pair went to war over COVID policy, the southern border, taxes, crime and book bans in primetime live on Fox News.
Both governors accused each other of lying about many of their states' policies, in what was a display of two alternatives to Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Ron DeSantis pulled out a map of human feces in San Francisco and addressed the city's homelessness and crime in his fiery debate with California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday evening.
The ending descended into chaos as they called each other “bullies” and shouted over each other as moderator Sean Hannity tried to intervene.
In addition to the relief card, DeSantis' campaign also revealed on its website the sale of $37 worth of brown socks with the words: “Newsom's California Walking Socks.” Mind your step.'
The description reads: 'Considering visiting California? You need some. Order your California hiking socks before you start dodging poop in San Francisco!”
The two spoke specifically about some noticeable changes in California and Florida since they both became governor in early 2019. This included homelessness, drug use and crime.
In the U.S., 30 percent of people experiencing homelessness are in California, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Of every 10,000 people in California, 44 are homeless, while only 12 of every 10,000 people in Florida are homeless.
DeSantis began to swing the debate his California counterpart by pointing out his hypocrisy during COVID-19 by going out to fine-dining restaurant The French Laundry and sending his children to private schools while his residents were still in lockdown.
He said California ran out of UHaul moving vans because so many people were leaving for red states, including Florida. He said the new residents in Florida include the father of Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
Newsom did not back down in Thursday night's head-to-head debate in Alpharetta, Georgia, and blasted DeSantis, saying neither will be presidential candidates in 2024.
He also accused DeSantis of “trolling” with his attempt to ferry migrants from border states to Democratic sanctuary cities — and said he is trying to scam former President Donald Trump with his antics.
“You almost have to try to confuse California,” DeSantis said during spirited opening remarks, explaining why his state is superior. “That's what Gavin Newsom has done since he's been governor.”
“He imposed restrictions on his own people while exempting himself from those restrictions and doing the French laundry while his people suffered,” the Florida governor said. “He led the country in school closures, which kept children out of school, even though he personally had his own children in private school.”
Newsom has repeatedly said he has no plans to run for president in 2024 and has served as a surrogate for President Joe Biden since launching his reelection campaign this year.
But DeSantis is among a group of Republicans who aren't taking the California leader at his word and believe he plans to make a bid for the presidency in 2024 — especially if Biden is no longer in the race for some reason.
Newsom claimed he took '68,000 people' off the streets and closed 6,000 homeless encampments when Florida's governor pulled out the visual aid
“You might be wondering, 'What kind of plot is that?' This is an app that maps the human feces found on the streets of San Francisco. That's what happened in one of the greatest cities this country has ever had.”
DeSantis' website lists a $37 pair of brown socks titled “Newsom's California Walking Socks.” It says they ensure your feet are protected from feces on the streets of San Francisco
“I thought this was state versus state,” Fox News moderator Sean Hannity posed to the two men as they engaged in a debate about policy at the national level.
“But this is about the United States of America, I thought this man was running for president of the United States,” Newsom shot back.
“You won't admit it,” DeSantis said, demanding, “Admit you're on the run.”
DeSantis is currently in the midst of a heated primary, coming in a distant second to former President Donald Trump. He will debate his fellow 2024 competitors on Wednesday — just six days after the one-on-one with Newsom.
California's governor claims that while DeSantis is “playing political games,” he is failing to be the next Trump with policies more radical than those of the ex-president.
“You're trolling people and trying to find immigrants who can play political games to try to get some news attention for President Trump,” Newsom claimed of the Florida governor's actions.
'And by the way, how are things going for you? A drop of 41 points in your own home state.”
