Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and his California counterpart, Gavin Newsom (D), are two of the most recognizable state leaders in the country. DeSantis recently traveled to California to promote his new book, and he had a few criticisms of Newsom to share while he was there, reported the Daily Mail.

Many suspect both men have presidential aspirations

DeSantis Goes After Newsom

Speaking to a crowd of around 1,300 people at the Ronald Reagan Library in Los Angeles, DeSantis took shots at the California governor, Disney, and woke culture.

The Florida leader jokingly told the crowd, "I know you've got a lot of problems out here, but your governor is very concerned about what we are doing in Florida so I figured I had to come by."

DeSantis' barbs come at a difficult time for Newsom, as the California leader has faced criticism at home over his decision to leave California in the middle of a state of emergency he declared because of heavy snowfall.

The storm that caused the emergency order “dumped 17 feet of snow” in the state, reported the Daily Mail.

DeSantis' Plans for the Nation

Though Ron DeSantis has not announced a presidential run, he has taken to speaking a lot about national issues - something commentators view as indicating presidential ambitions.

During his speech at the Ronald Reagan Library, the governor spoke on topics such as parental rights, public safety, and education, all issues that could form part of a presidential campaign. He said he intended to go "on offense on all of these issues."

He also took the opportunity to again publicly criticize media giant Walt Disney Company.

He told the crowd that Disney "ha[s] gotten everything they want in Florida for the last 60 years, but there's a new sheriff in town now, and we are not backing down to that."

This comes just after a measure DeSantis passed stripping Disney of its longstanding self-governing status, reported the Daily Mail.

Presidential Implications

Though the Florida governor initially had a long-standing reluctance to indicate he was running for the presidency, commentators have grown more and more certain he will throw his hat into the ring in recent weeks. A March 6 report from the Washington Examiner cited statements by several party insiders who claim DeSantis has decided to announce a campaign in June or July of this year.

One unnamed party staffer told The Hill "I think his mind is pretty much made up at this point... My read on it is: Let’s get through session, get some stuff done and see where things stand. But unless something changes drastically between now and then, I’d say he’s a go.”

DeSantis has also been notably at odds with fellow Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump who recently reshared and responded to social media posts accusing DeSantis of inappropriate behavior with female students while the governor was a teacher in college, reported ABC News.

Newsom, on the other hand, has stated he will not challenge President Joe Biden for his position in 2024, reported Politico. However, it's not clear what Newsom's position would be if the incumbent decides not to run again.

Many commentators view Newsom as a likely aspirant to the presidency, at some later stage if not in 2024.

While Trump has formally announced his candidacy, whether DeSantis, Newsom, and Biden will ultimately get in the race still remains to be seen.