Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis trolled Gov. Gavin Newsom, insisting that his Republican father-in-law is “much happier” in the Sunshine State under his leadership, according to a clip exclusively obtained by the Californian Post.
Newsom’s father-in-law, Kenneth Siebel, became a Florida resident in 2020 after purchasing a $3.3 million Naples home.
In a sit-down with Sean Hannity for his podcast, “Hang Out,” DeSantis reiterated his claim that Siebel praised him and his state at a fundraiser.
“You run such a great state. It’s so refreshing to be here. We’ve never been happier. We love the way everything’s going,” Siebel said, according to the Republican governor.
“And then he paused, and he looked up and said, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m Gavin Newsom’s father-in-law,’” DeSantis added.
Siebel did not respond to the California Post’s request for comment or confirm the alleged interaction with DeSantis.
According to DeSantis, the interaction happened in Naples, Florida, during a fundraiser when he was running for reelection.
“That whole place erupted. They were laughing — they were like, ‘Oh my God,’” he added. “His father-in-law is actually very successful and a really good guy, too. He is very well known, particularly in Northern California.”
DeSantis’ office also did not respond to a request for comment.
Newsom’s office, meanwhile, dismissed the claim in a sassy statement dubbing DeSantis, “Meatball Ron.”
“The Governor has long spoken about marrying into a big Republican family and his deep respect for his father-in-law,” a spokesperson said, adding that the Florida governor had been “recycling” the story for years.
The 82-year-old investment banker — and Newsom’s father-in-law — is a registered Republican.
His daughter, Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, was also once a registered Republican and grew up in an affluent, politically conservative family in Marin County before changing her affiliation to independent in 2008, when she married then-San Francisco mayor Newsom.
The episode also touched on other topics, including whether DeSantis would run for president again.
DeSantis shared the story after Hannity rattled off California’s budget woes and what he called “crazy numbers.”
“I could just go down the list — the highest income taxes, sales taxes, gas taxes in the entire country,” the conservative host said.
“Crazy numbers, and he still can’t balance his budget — and he wants to be president.”
The anecdote drew chuckles from DeSantis, who framed it as emblematic of broader migration trends from California to states like Florida.
More Californians have continued to move to Florida in recent years, making it one of the top destinations for residents leaving California, according to census data.
A separate U-Haul growth index has also consistently ranked California among the top states for outbound moves, with more residents leaving via one-way trucks, trailers and moving containers than any other state.
However, on a per capita basis — which adjusts for population size — migration between California and Florida is far closer, with some analyses showing slightly more Floridians moving to California than vice versa.
This is not the first time Siebel has made headlines.
The Republican father-in-law of California’s top official and a likely Democratic presidential contender in 2028 blasted DeSantis in 2023 as a “lying slimeball” after the Florida governor claimed he and his wife fled California for a better life.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Mail, Siebel pushed back on that narrative, saying the couple actually relocated to Florida from Montana and that he had left California years earlier, in the mid-2010s.
