California Governor Gavin Newsom has sparked speculation about his presidential ambitions after a wide-ranging interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.[0] During the interview, Hannity pressed Newsom on a variety of topics, including immigration, tax policy, and President Joe Biden’s job performance.[1] Despite dodging questions about whether he plans to run for president, Newsom offered a ringing defense of Biden’s record.[2] He also blamed the state’s housing crisis on high costs, problematic regulatory issues, and local opposition to new housing starts and construction.
California has more homeless people than any state in the nation at 171,000, as well as the highest per-capita rate at 44 homeless for every 10,000 residents, according to the Housing and Urban Development Department’s 2022 annual report. Newsom admitted that the state has not made progress in the last two decades as it relates to homelessness, but he blamed the historic number of homeless in 2005 on a Republican administration.
Hannity also questioned Newsom about whether he should, or plans to, run in the Democratic primary against Biden. Newsom made the comments in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, who also pressed the governor on Biden’s fitness for office. During one segment, he had Newsom watch videos of Biden’s speaking gaffes and tripping incidents.[3] However, Newsom responded by saying, “I don’t think he’s capable, I know he’s capable.[4] I see results.[4] I see a master class in results the last few years.”[4]
Newsom also talked about his relationship with former President Donald Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that they had “an incredible relationship” and that Trump “played no politics” during the crisis. However, Hannity played a supercut of Biden’s verbal gaffes and physical stumbles and asked if Newsom thinks he’s “cognitively strong enough” for the job.[5] Newsom refused to answer the question, but Biden’s doctor has said the president remains in good health and fit for duty.[6]
California currently reports over 170,000 homeless individuals, a number that has been exacerbated by the state’s high housing costs, regulatory issues, and local opposition to new housing starts and construction.
0. “The two questions Hannity asked Newsom that make for an epic 2024” Fox News, 14 Jun. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/two-questions-hannity-asked-newsom-make-epic-2024
1. “Sean Hannity Spars with California Gov. Gavin Newsom in Tenacious Interview” California Globe, 13 Jun. 2023, https://californiaglobe.com/articles/sean-hannity-spars-with-california-gov-gavin-newsom-in-tenacious-interview
2. “Newsom dodges presidential run questions and defends Biden” Washington Examiner, 13 Jun. 2023, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/newsom-dodges-presidential-run-questions-defends-biden
3. “Newsom Uses Hannity’s Text Message Against Him During Interview: ‘I Respect Your Audience Too Much To Let Them Be Misled’” Mediaite, 13 Jun. 2023, https://www.mediaite.com/tv/newsom-uses-hannitys-text-message-against-him-during-interview-i-respect-your-audience-too-much-to-let-them-be-misled/
4. “Gavin Newsom Gives Sean Hannity Blunt Fact-Checks In Fiery Fox News Clash” HuffPost, 13 Jun. 2023, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gavin-newsom-fact-checks-hannity_n_6487d963e4b0756ff85f9889
5. “Gavin Newsom Tells Sean Hannity He Was Blasted by Left for ‘Incredible Relationship’ With Trump During COVID (Video)” Yahoo Life, 10 Jun. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/gavin-newsom-tells-sean-hannity-180619378.html
6. “‘I’m not answering’: Governor pushes back when asked about running against Biden” The Independent, 10 Jun. 2023, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/gavin-newsom-sean-hannity-biden-b2355186.html
