Finally, there’s some fire in the presidential campaigns. After the mirage of candidates hoping for public approval in mind-numbingly dull debates, we get one hell of a one-on-one battle between the governors of California and Florida.
Both the presidential candidates stood on the podium with peak confidence and the pinnacle of oratorship.
Moderated by the Fox News Host Sean Hannity, the 90-minute debate was a compilation of all the topics that, even though they have been previously covered, still brought in a fresh perspective from relatively younger candidates.
In the heated arguments and one-upmanship, certain misinformation and accusations were thrown around.
On the November 30, 2023 debate, Gov. Gavin Newsom (Democrat) alleged that Gov. Ron DeSantis (Republican) supports Amnesty. But these claims are not entirely true, and DeSantis has vehemently denied these claims. He further said Newsom was trying to deflect from the debate by spewing lies.
You can catch the whole debate on Fox News at 9:00 p.m. ET. In case you missed it, you can stream the 90-minute debate on DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, and Hulu + Live TV.
Newsom And DeSantis Hash It Out. Does DeSantis Really Support Amnesty?
The Newsom vs DeSantis debate was a clash of polarizing beliefs. Sean Hannity, as the moderator from Fox News, seemed to be enjoying the two, talking over each other; all he needed was a tub of popcorn as the drama unfolded.
Nevertheless, it was surprisingly a decent debate, considering both brought their A-games for favors in polls in the presidential race. This highly anticipated battle could have lobbied for on either side. But surprisingly, the opinions were split right in the middle, with both ready to dominate each other.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (California) was firm on his stance and even went aggressive in a few opinions, which is unlike most Democratic candidates, who don’t usually resort to low blows.
On the other hand, Gov. Ron DeSantis (Florida) was observed to be more upfront, unlike his below-average performance during the GOP debate.
The most prominent topics in the debate included education, crime, COVID recovery, immigration, abortion, energy, and more.
Although most of the debate was riding on fallacies and deflecting from the sensitive issues to avoid any negative connotations, both wanted to say the ‘right things,’ not what they really wanted to.
The highlight of the debate was during the immigration discourse when the subtext was how to control the influx of illegal immigrants. And in the spur of the moment, Newsom blurted out–
“When he was in Congress, he supported amnesty.”
He further elaborated his claim, saying–
“You supported John Boehner’s bill…You supported Obama’s efforts to advance comprehensive reform” and called DeSantis “the last guy you want to talk to on the issue of immigration.”
This claim is actually misleading. When DeSantis was in Congress, he voted for an ‘immigration bill’ in 2018, with the intention to restrict immigration. The bill also offers a 3-year renewable legal status to DACA recipients (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Even this leniency was considered as Amnesty by some conservatives.
But there is still a grey area in this claim– DeSantis voted against another bill the same year that offered a provision for citizenship to Dreamers (as explained by experts in The New York Times).
DeSantis retaliated to the claim, stating–
‘It is deja vu all over again with that flurry of lies. This is a guy that says the Biden administration is not lying to the public about the border. We know that that’s not true. Gavin Newsom is lying to you.’
Where Can You Catch Up On The Whole Newsom-DeSantis Debate?
The debate aired on FOX News at 9:00 p.m. ET. If you don’t have cable TV, you can stream the debate on various streaming platforms, including DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, and Hulu + Live TV.
Do you prefer watching, setting your bias aside, objectively? Or do you root for a particular candidate from the start? How likely would you change your opinion based on a debate?
Do you think Newsom was spreading misinformation on DeSantis?
Let us know your opinions in the comments section below.
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