TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he would be willing to debate Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom live on air.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis shared the moment on Hannity's show when he was asked to respond to a formal debate proposal Newsom had sent to Hannity on Friday suggesting a 90-minute live debate between himself and DeSantis with Hannity as moderator.
"Absolutely. I’m game. Let’s get it done. Just tell me when and where. We’ll do it," DeSantis said.
After accepting the invitation on air, DeSantis joined Hannity in suggesting Florida had already won its debate with California, referring to data showing that California's population had been decreasing since 2020. He also touted Florida's high rankings on economy and education.
"In another sense," DeSantis said, "This is a debate for the future of our country, because you have people like Joe Biden who would love to see the Californi-cation of the United States."
Newsom publicly defended his state's economy, touted Biden's accomplishments, and criticized DeSantis' treatment of migrants during an interview on Hannity's show in June. He also challenged Hannity and DeSantis' claims that people were leaving California in record numbers.
He also expressed a willingness to publicly debate DeSantis on air with Hannity moderating.
"I’m all in, count on it,” Newsom said. “Do it with one-day notice with no notes, I look forward to that. We could talk about (DeSantis') zest for demonization, we could talk about his assault on free enterprise.”
Newsom's formal debate offer includes the condition that neither he nor DeSantis would read from notes. It also suggested that the debate air live and feature no additional speakers, moderators or live audiences. It also suggested Nov. 8 or 10 as possible dates and Georgia, North Carolina or Nevada as potential locations.