Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis trade insults in feisty debate

The Democratic and Republican governors of two of the most populous US states exchanged insults for more than an hour on primetime television.

Fox News host Sean Hannity moderated the so-called Great Red vs Blue State Debate between Florida's Ron DeSantis and California's Gavin Newsom.

The event featured arguments about abortion, crime, the US economy and the 2024 presidential election.

Unlike Mr DeSantis, Mr Newsom is not running in the election.

But the California governor claimed last night it was only a matter of time before Mr DeSantis would be forced to concede.

"We have one thing in common: Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024," Mr Newsom said.

Over the course of the night, Mr Newsom lobbed several jabs at Mr DeSantis over Mr Trump's 2024 polling lead. The Florida governor was widely viewed as a rival candidate to Mr Trump, but has seen his favourability drop in recent months.