Newsom dinged for attacking 'authoritarian' red state governors: 'He's neck-deep in a sewer'

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Gutfeld: California is a 'Fourth-World country'

'The Five' co-hosts discuss California Gov. Gavin Newsom traveling to red states to combat ‘authoritarian leaders.'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would begin traveling to red states to boost Democratic gubernatorial candidates and attack GOP policies and leaders he claims are "authoritarian."

Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld called out the liberal governor for saying he cares about preserving democracy while letting homelessness and crime run rampant in his state. Gutfeld argued that for Newsom, "it’s more American to let people die on your streets."

"It's more American not to arrest people. Gavin Newsom is basically flinging mud while he's neck-deep in a sewer," he said Monday on "The Five." "He talks about authoritarianism in red states, but who is more free? There's nothing less free than a lawless state. The only thing worse than a police state is no police at all state. It's a criminal state. He governs a criminal state."

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California Governor Gavin Newsom makes an appearance after the polls close on the recall election, at the California Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento, California, U.S., September 14, 2021. (REUTERS/Fred Greaves)

Co-host Jesse Watters argued Newsom is going to states like Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi to test the waters for a potential 2024 presidential run if Biden opts not to seek re-election.

Axios reported some of Biden’s allies and advisers don’t expect him to announce his re-election plans until the late summer or fall. 

"Gavin is just waiting in the wings in case anything shakes out with Joe," Watters explained. "And he ran it [a new political ad] by Biden. He told the White House he was going to campaign in these red states. If he was campaigning in swing states, that would be more threatening. But he's going to deep red states, still connecting with donors, still testing out lines, getting his legs loose."

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"If he was doing big foreign policy speeches in South Carolina, big economic speeches in New Hampshire, the Biden White House would say cut that out. But they're allowing him to do this out of respect and just out of this slight chance that Joe doesn't run. He is distinguishing himself, though, as a cultural warrior on the left."

Watters added that he wasn’t sure voters would like Newsom’s policies outside of California.  

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Newsom previously said in November that he would not run challenge President Biden for the Democratic nomination in 2024, telling Politico he was "all in" on supporting Biden’s re-election.