On Wednesday night, CBS Evening News aired part two of anchor Norah O’Donnell’s sit-down interview with Florida Republican governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. The interview went so poorly for O’Donnell that she was forced to leave most of it on the cutting room floor and hide it on CBS’s website where most people would never see it.
The part of the interview that did make it to air was O’Donnell pestering and nagging DeSantis about his state’s 15-week abortion law. “There is new data out that the number of abortions in Florida has actually increased, and increased since Dobbs,” O’Donnell touted. “For those who oppose abortion rights, is it time to enact a national ban on abortion?”
DeSantis explained that “the issue with Florida is that the southeastern states have very, very strong pro-life laws. Florida is litigating under a 15-week, and so we have become, against our wishes, a destination.”
“Now we’ve also done the Heartbeat Protection Act, which would go into effect once the courts clear this, which I think would probably stop the whole abortion tourism thing, so we don't want to be an abortion tourism destination,” DeSantis added.
Before the governor could finish answering her question, O’Donnell rudely interrupted like a petulant child.
“Why won't you answer that question? She asked.
DeSantis responded: “What do you mean?”
“About why you would support a federal ban,” O’Donnell shot back.
DeSantis responded: “I support pro-life policies. I will be a pro-life President. But at the same time, I got to chart the course and be honest with people about, okay, how do you advance the ball like we did in Florida. And the way you do that is really bottom-up.”
Next, O’Donnell asked DeSantis if the “penalties mentioned in Florida's six-week ban would include women.”
DeSantis responded that “the penalties are for the physician.” Before he could finish answering, O’Donnell interjected again and decided she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Governor, I read the bill,” she snarked. “It says just this: It does include jail time and fines for any person who willfully performs or actively participates in a termination of pregnancy."
“That’s for the providers. It is not for the women,” DeSantis calmly responded.
O’Donnell then started shrieking at DeSantis:
O’DONNELL: Is a woman not actively participating in the termination of her pregnancy?
DESANTIS: No, because she’s not a medical practitioner and so there are no—
O’DONNELL: You are not for criminalizing women?
DESANTIS: No, absolutely not, and that will not happen in Florida.
The left-wing anchor then came back live and informed viewers that the rest of the interview would be available on CBS News’s website.
The NAACP issued a travel advisory in May that called Florida “openly hostile for African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals.” 2024 Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to the warning in a sit-down interview with @NorahODonnell. pic.twitter.com/kYFcKMRg1f
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 13, 2023
After NewsBusters viewed the video online, it was clear why it wasn’t allowed to go to air. DeSantis schooled O'Donnell on the media’s dishonest coverage of the fake travel advisory warning put out by the radical left-wing group NAACP.
When O’Donnell slimed DeSantis and his policies as being racist because African Americans and “LGBQ” people in Florida think DeSantis discriminates, DeSantis set her and the rest of the leftist media straight.
“Well, part of the reason they think that is 'cause of narratives that are put out by media," DeSantis noted.
"When we had the fight with Disney over the elementary education about, should you have things about sex and gender identity telling a second grader that their gender's fluid? We said, 'Absolutely not.' Parents in Florida agreed. And throughout — the country I think agreed with that,” he added.
This nasty interview by CBS’s Norah O’Donnell was made possible by Aleve.
The transcript is below:
CBS Evening News
9/13/2023
6:45:52 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: There is new data out that the number of abortions in Florida has actually increased, and increased since Dobbs. For those who oppose abortion rights, is it time to enact a national ban on abortion?
GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS: Well, the issue with Florida is that the southeastern states have very, very strong pro-life laws. Florida is litigating under a 15-week, and so we have become, against our wishes, a destination. Now we’ve also done the Heartbeat Protection Act, which would go into effect once the courts clear this, which I think would probably stop the whole abortion tourism thing, so we don't want to be an abortion tourism destination.
O’DONNELL: Why won't you answer that question?
DESANTIS: What do you mean?
O’DONNELL: About why you would
DESANTIS: I support—
O’DONNELL: Support a federal ban—
DESANTIS: I support pro-life policies. I will be a pro-life President. But at the same time, I got to chart the course and be honest with people about, okay, how do you advance the ball like we did in Florida. And the way you do that is really bottom-up.
[Applause]
O’DONNELL: We asked the governor whether the penalties mentioned in Florida's six-week ban would include women.
DESANTIS: We have no criminal -- the penalties are for the physician. I mean a lot of these—
O’DONNELL: Governor, I read the bill, it says just this: It does include jail time and fines for "Any person who willfully performs or actively participates in a termination of pregnancy."
DESANTIS: And that’s for the providers. It is not for the women.
O’DONNELL: Is a woman not actively participating in the termination of her pregnancy?
DESANTIS: No, because she’s not a medical practitioner and so there are no—
O’DONNELL: You are not for criminalizing women?
DESANTIS: No, absolutely not, and that will not happen in Florida.
