‘Neither of Us Will Be the Nominee in 2024′ Newsom Smacks DeSantis’ Presidential Hopes But Lets Him Slide on Disney

It was a calculated risk. When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and California Governor Gavin Newsom that they would debate, it seemed there wasn’t much to be gained for either of them. For DeSantis, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, there was very little to be achieved. It would only confirm what those watching already believed about him if he won. But if he lost, he would fall further behind former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

For Newsom, there was no upside. He was stepping into enemy territory, Fox News, with a hostile moderator, Sean Hannity. The California Governor is term-limited and, like DeSantis, will leave office after the 2026 election. But if both men take the long view, they believe that they will both be running for the 2028 Presidential nomination for their parties when, presumably, President Joe Biden and Trump have left the stage.

At one point, Newsom reminded DeSantis that “neither one of us will be the nominee in 2024,” a not-so-subtle shot at DeSantis’ current standing in the GOP primaries.

But as the debate progressed, you knew it was only a matter of time before the Walt Disney Company became the topic of conversation. With both governors representing the only two states in America with Disney Parks, the topic was bound to come up. And strangely enough, DeSantis, who has been Disney’s antagonist, brought up his work with Walt Disney World.

As the two men sparred over their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing shutdowns, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis bragged about his state opening sooner and specifically pointed to Disney World. DeSantis said:

We made them a fortune. We have a lot of jobs. You had Disney closed inexplicably for a year. 

Newsom did not respond and waited to bring up Disney until later in the debate. As the pair discussed free trade and the ability of citizens of each state to exercise their freedom, Newsom was able to slip in a hit about Governor DeSantis’ feud with the Walt Disney Company.

Newsom said: 

Ask the folks at Disney about freedom and free enterprise.

But that was it. As the 90-minute Fox News debate ended, Newsom suggested that they continue the debate, but after a commercial break, Sean Hannity announced that they would not be able to continue and thanked both men for participating.

Newsom missed a golden opportunity to go after DeSantis for his feud with Disney over Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, known by its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. He didn’t mention that Disney also canceled its Lake Nona project, which would have brought $1 billion to the Central Florida economy and thousands of high-paying jobs.

While DeSantis has had an adversarial relationship with Disney, Newsom has shown himself to be friendly to the Mouse House, even showing up at Disneyland’s Pride Night. And Disney has shown the same kindness by expanding Disneyland and adding thousands of jobs to Southern California. 

Meanwhile, the Florida governor and Disney are embroiled in a bitter battle in Federal Court, with Disney accusing the governor of government retaliation and violating its First Amendment Rights.