Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office had a blistering response to ABC News’ "The View" after the liberal daytime talk show asked the Republican governor to appear as guest.
Fox News Digital has confirmed that "The View" extended an invitation to DeSantis, and deputy press secretary Bryan Griffin shared his office's official response to the offer.
"Thanks for the invite. I understand that you are sending this request on behalf of your team," Griffin wrote in a message he shared on Twitter. "But are the hosts of the View really interested in hearing from Governor DeSantis about all of the important work he is doing on behalf of Floridians to protect their health and livelihoods, to stand up for parents and children, and to defend freedom?"
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DeSantis’ deputy press secretary then asked, "Which of the below statements from the hosts of the View do you recommend our team consider when deciding if the interview with be a genuine pursuit of truth?"
DeSantis’ office offered four examples, including Joy Behar calling the governor a "homicidal sociopath," Sunny Hostin declaring him to be a "fascist and a bigot," Ana Navarro calling him "anti-Black" and Hostin criticizing his policies as "anti-Black history laws."
"We will pass on this offer," Griffin wrote. "Also please note- we don’t coordinate appearances or events of a political nature from the official office. Our role is to serve the people of Florida."
"The View" declined to comment when asked if the show received the email tweeted by Griffin.
The program attacks conservative leaders on a regular basis and DeSantis has emerged as a regular target. Hostin at one point labeled him "DeathSantis" for his coronavirus policies.
This week, Navarro said Florida was dealing with a "housing crisis," an "insurance crisis" and a "climate crisis" and that DeSantis was too focused on children being exposed to drag shows. DeSantis recently filed a complaint with R House, a Miami restaurant, for hosting "lewd activity" while minors were present, according to the New York Post. The ABC News program criticized the governor for this stance.
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"Do I think a 5-year-old should be at a drag show? No, but you know what? If you are for parental choice when it comes to your kid wearing a mask to school, if you are for parental choice when it comes to your kid learning about slavery and learning the true history of this country, then why in the hell can’t you be about parental choice on whether you take your kid to a drag show or not?" Navarro argued.
Navarro, a regular fill-in for the show, said people were "cherry-picking" with regard to parental choice.
"I looked at the top causes of endangerment for children, of children’s death. It’s firearms. It’s car accidents. It’s drownings. It is not drag queens. I’ve yet to see a kid that dies from being exposed to a drag queen," Navarro said.
Fox News' Hanna Panreck and Lindsay Kornic contributed to this report.
