DeSantis thinks Newsom’s Florida ‘obession’ comes from in-laws moving to the state
Jack Birle
Video Embed
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said he believes part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) consistent talk about Florida has to do with the California governor’s in-laws moving to the Sunshine State.
DeSantis theorized about where Newsom’s “obsession” with Florida comes from while speaking on the Mark Levin Show on Thursday.
SUPREME COURT NEWS: FIVE MAJOR OPINIONS JUSTICES COULD RELEASE AS SOON AS THURSDAY
“I think part of his obsession with Florida stems from the fact that his in-laws actually moved from California to Florida during our administration, and they left during his administration,” DeSantis said.
Levin interrupted, having not heard the revelation about Newsom’s in-laws. DeSantis then continued by revealing when he met one of them during a fundraiser for his own gubernatorial race last year.
“I was campaigning for reelection last year, so it was sometime probably in 2020, and I’m doing an event — it was actually a fundraiser — they’re going around the table, and his father-in-law introduced himself, and he said, ‘my son-in-law is the California governor.’ So his in-laws moved to Florida, they are proud Florida residents, and they were supporters of mine,” DeSantis said.
The parents of Newsom’s wife, California First Partner Jennifer Siebel, were listed as donors to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC in 2022. The donation was listed as a $5,000 contribution. Fox News reported in September 2022 that Kenneth and Judith Siebel had moved to the Sunshine State from the Golden State, according to records.
DeSantis then discussed how despite California’s natural advantages, the state is losing its population under Newsom’s leadership.
“They never lost population for their entire history as a state until he became governor. And now they’ve hemorrhaged wealth, they’ve hemorrhaged population, and this is something that has never happened,” DeSantis said.
California’s population has declined for three years in a row. On Jan. 1, 2022, the state’s population was 39,078,674, but a year later, the population was only 38,940,231, a net loss of 138,443 people or 0.4%. Since 2020, the population has decreased by 597,992 people, per state data.
DeSantis and Newsom have been vocal critics of each other, with the California governor predicting that DeSantis will be “crushed” by former President Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“He’s taking his eye off the ball,” Newsom told the Associated Press earlier this week. “And that’s not inconsistent with my own assessment of him, which is he is a weak candidate, and he is undisciplined and will be crushed by Donald Trump, and will soon be in third or fourth in national polls.”
DeSantis is currently in second place in the GOP presidential primary, per the RealClearPolitics polling average. Former President Donald Trump is leading the field but appears to be slipping in recent polls.