Gavin Newsom calls Ron DeSantis' migrant flights 'pathetic' bid for attention after his campaign 'belly flopped'

• Newsom slammed DeSantis for arranging flights to transport migrants from Texas to California.
• "He's desperate to get in on the action. He's belly-flopped," said Newsom.

In a wide-ranging interview with Sean Hannity on Monday night, California governor Gavin Newsom ripped into Florida governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis.

When asked about migrant flights arranged by Ron DeSantis to carry migrants from Texas to California, Newsom teed off.

"I'm a border state, Ron DeSantis is not," Newsom said during a contentious back and forth with Hannity. "I know he's desperate to get in on the action. He's belly flopped. Donald Trump will clean his clock."

"This is a stunt," the California Democrat continued. "It's embarrassing. It's pathetic."

Newsom has made DeSantis a frequent punching bag as he builds his national profile for a potential presidential run in 2028.

On June 6, Newsom called DeSantis, a "small, pathetic man" after migrants from Florida were unceremoniously ferried to and dumped in California.

In a tweet Newsom wrote: "@RonDeSantis you small, pathetic man. This isn't Martha's Vineyard."

Newsom floated the idea of pressing "kidnapping charges" against DeSantis by invoking a section of the criminal code that penalizes people who forcibly bring people into "the limits of the state."

DeSantis' administration confirmed it was behind the recent flights sending migrants from Texas to California — but insisted that the trips were all voluntary and the immigrants were treated well.

On April 1, Newsom made a sarcastic remark about DeSantis' ongoing feud with Disney.

Speaking to Insider's Kimberly Leonard, he said: "There's a new sheriff in town. It's Mickey Mouse, back on top."