After both California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed on-air to extend their Thursday night debate, Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, apparently came onto the debate stage to put an end to it.
Sources told NBC News that Siebel Newsom went on stage during the break and said, “We’re done,” pulling her husband off.
Driving the news: Near the end of the debate on Fox News, moderator and host Sean Hannity told Newsom and DeSantis that they had more time if they wanted to extend the debate past 90 minutes.
- Newsom answered saying he would be happy to do an extended hour, with DeSantis agreeing to stay.
- But when Hannity came back from the break he said both governors agreed to end it as they had other commitments.
- Siebel Newsom pulling her husband off the debate stage was the end of what was reportedly a contentious time behind the scenes.
- NBC News reported that Siebal Newsom came into the debate room at least twice to raise objections, including over DeSantis talking about how her father left California for Florida.
- Newsom’s team also reportedly took issue with DeSantis’s wife Casey DeSantis allegedly conversing with him during breaks, something that violated the agreed upon rules about not receiving advice during the debate.
- Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click also accused Fox News of setting up a teleprompter in DeSantis’s line of sight, allowing him to see the questions before Hannity read them.
What they’re saying: “Gavin Newsom got beat so badly last night his wife literally had to throw in the towel for him. It was embarrassing,” DeSantis spokesman Andrew Romeo said.
