Gavin Newsom, Who Repeatedly Locked California Down, Accuses Ron DeSantis Of Being A Lockdown Governor

Gavin Newsom is getting absolutely obliterated by Ron DeSantis in their governor’s debate Thursday night.

And the most obvious example of how woefully unprepared Newsom was for going up against someone capable of arguing with him.

DeSantis went after Newsom almost immediately for the rapid exodus of people from California, best exemplified by the fact that Newsom’s own father-in-law fled the state for Florida. All because it was better governed.

One of the most embarrassing moments for Newsom though, came when the subject of COVID was brought up. DeSantis had one of the best, if not the best, track record of any governor in the country during the pandemic. By contrast, California’s lockdowns, mask mandates and vaccine mandates were a historic and ineffective embarrassment.

Newsom though, perhaps aware of his own monumental failings, laughably tried to call DeSantis a “lockdown governor.”

Awe inspiring.

DeSantis, naturally shot back with an accurate assessment of what Newsom did to California with his endless lockdowns.

"Gavin Newsom did huge damage to people in California. He ruined livelihoods. We reopened the state very quickly. We saved thousands of jobs. We saved hundreds of thousands of jobs. Thousands of businesses. We had our kids in school. He had the kids locked out of school because of the teachers union. That is having a generational impact."

MILWAUKEE - Republican presidential candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis participates in the first debate of the GOP primary season hosted by FOX News at the Fiserv Forum on August 23. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Ron DeSantis vs. Gavin Newsom Is A Huge Mismatch

DeSantis also highlighted that he had Walt Disney World reopened in just a few months, while Newsom kept Disneyland closed for well over a year.

Because California inarguably got COVID wrong, Newsom had no other option but to try and turn criticisms back on DeSantis. And as a far left California politician, he’s not accustomed to having to defend himself, his policies, or make cogent, coherent arguments. Against DeSantis though, he was backed into a corner.

And look how poorly it went for him.

Newsom’s been such a train wreck that for the first time in the history of California, the state lost more residents than it gained. More than a million people fled the state in just the past few years. How do you defend that level of failure?

The answer, as we’ve all witnessed on Thursday night was: you can’t.