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Newsom present, Trump absent at California GOP presidential debate

September 28, 2023

Gov. Gavin Newsom

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is neither a Republican nor a current presidential candidate, yet the Golden State governor captured as much attention on Wednesday as any of the GOP White House hopefuls who stood on the debate stage in Simi Valley.

Newsom, whom many observers expect will eventually launch a run for the White House, represented United States President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Republican debate that took place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Former President Donald Trump, the current GOP presidential frontrunner, did not attend the debate.

Seven of Trump’s challengers, who trail far behind him in the polls, squared off on stage at the Reagan Library. None of them seemed to emerge from the debate as a clear contender in the Republican presidential race.

The Democratic governor of California spoke with media before and after the debate, fielding questions including whether he could potentially replace Biden as the his party’s nominee for the 2024 presidential election. Fox New’s Sean Hannity asked Newsom following the debate whether, under any circumstances at all, he would accept the Democratic nomination for 2024.

“No, it’s a hypothetical. It’s ridiculous. Joe Biden’s our president,” Newsom responded.

A CalCoastNews reporter, as well, tried asking Newsom whether he intends to run for president. Newsom did not respond to the question as CHP officers ushered him through the crowded spin room at the Reagan Library. 

Hannity, though, spoke with CalCoastNews after his exchange with Newsom about a potential 2024 run for the White House.

“I was just pressing him,” Hannity said. “He starts ducking, dodging weaving, but I got him to say nope, under no circumstances, so I will take him at his word,” Hannity said.

However, the Fox News host said he believes Newsom, at some point, will run for president.

On Nov. 30, Hannity will moderate a one-on-one debate between Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who stood center stage on Wednesday at the Reagan Library. While speaking with media about his upcoming debate with DeSantis, the California governor criticized his Florida counterpart for choosing to run for president and now trailing Trump by more than 30 percentage points in primary election polls. 

Newsom characterized the entire group of GOP candidates who took the debate stage in Simi Valley as a “JV team” that is unable to compete with Trump.

On the debate stage inside the Reagan Library’s Air Force One Pavilion, candidates traded barbs, with some of them ganging up not on DeSantis, but rather on entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Heading into the debate, polls positioned Ramaswamy as trailing Trump and DeSantis and neck and neck with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Halley for third place in the Republican presidential race. 

Vivek Ramaswamy

Candidates attacked Ramaswamy for alleged business ties with China and use of the Chinese-developed social media platform TikTok. 

Speaking with reporters in the spin room, Ramasway said he wants to continue Trump’s America First agenda and take it to the next level. 

“I was the only America First candidate on that stage. I think everybody was implicitly or explicitly taking barbs at President Trump because presumably that’s the strategic thing to do, whereas for me, my view is I’m in this race to take the America First movement to the next level,” Ramaswamy said. “I respect Donald Trump, but the America First agenda doesn’t belong to one man. It doesn’t belong to me, it doesn’t belong to him. It belongs to the people.”

The 38-year-old entrepreneur also said “it will take somebody whose best days are still yet ahead in life” to lead and unite the country.

Ramaswamy was the final candidate to leave the spin room following the debate. Newsom, who appeared on three different cable news programs and fielded questions from reporters, stayed in the spin room longer than all of the candidates, with the exception of Ramaswamy. 

Trump delivered a speech to autoworkers in Michigan Wednesday evening.


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Gavin Newsom is the epitome of an anti-christ; god help us all.


13

Nikki Haley presents as the most competent option.


-1

Trump is the nominee of the crazy party. Their convicted rapist fraudster. Give the “no law and disorder” party their convict.


-33

If you are going to accuse people of being a certain way you need to show the proof with it. Where has Trump been convicted of rape? Jan 6 th whitehouse fiasco was condemned and people prosecuted no Dem run Antifa riots burning businesses was ever prosecuted! Biden’s open boarder policy is against the constitution and laws thanks hard proof so I would say at least since Biden came in office the Dem’s qualifies as the real crazy party


21

You’re so right!!! Trump has only ever been 100% proven to be a liar, adulterer, fraud, thief, bully, and moron…


-10

Rape: “After Donald Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, his legal team and his defenders lodged a frequent talking point.

Despite Carroll’s claims that Trump had raped her, they noted, the jury stopped short of saying he committed that particular offense. Instead, jurors opted for a second option: sexual abuse. A judge has now clarified that this is basically a legal distinction without a real world difference. He says that what the jury found Trump did was in fact rape, as commonly understood.”

Now … your turn PROVE the Antifa link to the Democratic Party. In fact, Antifa hates the Democrats viewing them as “corporate” stooges. AND you should also check out far right accelerators participation in the riots.

Now … how is Biden’s border policy “against the constitution and laws”? You’re a constitutional law expert? You’re a participant in litigation on this issue? You have read legal briefs in pending cases challenging Biden’s order policy? BTW, I agree with very, very, very strong borders but I don’t see a constitutional issue.

BUT this has nothing to do with what Trump is, a CONVICTED rapist fraudster. And more appears to be coming. This is who the GOP defends?


-2

If the jury didn’t convict Trump of rape so you can’t say he was. In reference to Antifa I was referring to the Dem’s being in power and not prosecuting anyone for crimes like Jan 6, also Sec IV art 4 of constitution says protect against invasion so I guess you could say it’s not a invasion when millions come here illegally and keep saying border is secure sort of the word game like Trump was convicted of rape You have your views and I have mine which good that’s what makes the country great.


-5

“The Judge clarifies: Yes, Trump was found to have raped E. Jean Carroll

“The finding that Ms. Carroll failed to prove that she was ‘raped’ within the meaning of the New York Penal Law does not mean that she failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape,’ ” Kaplan wrote.


He added: “Indeed, as the evidence at trial recounted below makes clear, the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that.””


“But he said that the conduct the jury effectively found Trump liable for — forced digital penetration — meets a more common definition of rape. He cited definitions offered by the American Psychological Association and the Justice Department, which in 2012 expanded its definition of rape to include penetration “with any body part or object.””


The pussy grabber n chief shoved his fingers into a woman. That’s rape 100%.


3

I was waiting for….but…but…his fingers are so little it didn’t count.


-4

Now it will be interesting to see whether Newsom will resist the temptation to appoint himself to replace Dianne Feinstein in the Senate, rather than some other Democrat politician. He could still run for President while serving as a Senator. And then, of course, there would be a vicious scramble to replace Newsom as Governor.


11

Newsom is probably the front runner for the Democratic nomination in 2028, but it looks like a crowded field—Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Harris, Jeffries, Schiff, Booker, Goldman, Hobbs, etc., etc. I’m highly doubtful whether any of the current Republican challengers to Trump will be around 28.


-6

Every Dem you listed would be a disaster for the country especially Newsom as he has run Calif into the ground


24

How about Andy Beshear, Governor of Kentucky? Haley has an excellent resume. There are choices. But it is going to be Biden versus Trump. People are bogged down in certain mindsets. It is no wonder with what we consume.


-1

California was set on it’s current path when de-institutionalization started.


4

Glad to see CCN reporting in person at the debate. I’m often critical of the news coverage here, but this was a good piece – well written and informative.


-4

A deep field. D’s have a weak bench.


18

Democrats have a bad field, but so does the GOP. This isn’t a deep field, there is only one candidate above 15% and he disrespects voters by not even showing up. Only one candidate is above 7% and it’s half of what it was a few months ago. Every other candidate is despised by a third of the party who openly cares more about one man than the Constitution. That’s not a healthy party who realistically wants to win in 2024.


-17

Newsom said the 7 Republican candidates are the “JV team”?


Governor Dippity-Doo wouldn’t be good enough for towel boy…


31

Governor Dippity-Doo is better than a criminal fraudster, rapist and nonstop liar.


This is how we make America great again…


-30

Again you say things with no proof to back it up. Have you not heard Biden and every Dem keep saying the border is secure ? If that isn’t a BIG LIE don’t know what and there are way to many other things so look back in last 2 yrs compare with Trumps time who lied and did more damage to the country?


8

Trump allowed the beginning of the pandemic to occur under his watch… that alone destroys your argument imo.


-21

So why didn’t you comment on the Border issue instead of bringing up something not related to post? Trump put travel bans in place and Dem’s were all against it saying it’s racist. He also got the vaccines rolling . Without the things Trump did on it Biden would still be trying to figure it out. Give the 3 things Biden has done to help this country


9

That was painful to watch.


25