Gov. Doug Ducey sends message to Joe Biden slamming his big government approach: 'A creature of Washington'
Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is sending a message to President Joe Biden and his administration, slamming their big government approach to governing the country and for undermining states' rights. In an interview with Fox News Digital during the annual National Governors Association winter meeting, Ducey argued that because Biden had been "a creature of Washington" his entire career, he didn't understand how federalism worked. He also accused the liberal media of acting as "an extension" of the White House, as well as the Democratic Party.
Washington, D.C. – Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is sending a message to President Joe Biden and his administration, slamming what he calls a big government approach that undermines states' rights.
In an interview with Fox News Digital during the annual National Governors Association winter meeting, Ducey argued that because Biden had been "a creature of Washington" his entire career, he didn't understand how federalism worked. He also accused the liberal media of acting as "an extension" of the White House, as well as the Democratic Party.
FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2020, file photo, Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey arrives for a news conference to talk about the latest Arizona COVID-19 information in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, Pool, File) (FILE – In this Dec. 2, 2020, file photo, Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey arrives for a news conference to talk about the latest Arizona COVID-19 information in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, Pool, File) )
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"The liberal media is an extension of Joe Biden's White House and the whole Democrat machine," Ducey declared after being asked how he felt the former was defending the administration and furthering its policy goals with biased coverage.
When asked about criticism Biden had received that his party was engaged in federal overreach, such as recently failed federal voting laws that many argue would weaken states' ability to run their own elections, Ducey blasted Biden's understanding of the concept of federalism and the right of states to govern themselves.
"Joe Biden doesn't understand federalism, he doesn't understand states' rights, he doesn't understand governors. He has no use for governors. He sees governors as lower middle managers in Joe Biden's federal corporation," he said. "He's been a creature of Washington his entire life, he rarely gets out of Washington, D.C., except to go home to Delaware. He's never ever been to the Southern border, and this is in 47-plus years of public life."
TEXAS, USA - SEPTEMBER 19: Migrants are seen at the Rio Grande near the Del Rio-Acuna Port of Entry in Del Rio, Texas, on September 18, 2021. (Photo by Charlie C. Peebles/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Charlie C. Peebles/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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"So I don't think that this administration has a real feel. They have a worldview of top-down, one size fits all. They don't believe that the states are the laboratories of democracy, and they don't look at the different innovations that different states have," he added.
Ducey argued that governors across the board, both Democrat and Republican, were cooperative, collaborative and competitive when it came to the performance of their respective states. He explained that governors wanted to outperform each other and that, ultimately, Americans would go where the most attractive polices were.
"If you look at states like Arizona, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, the policies that are making us attractive are the same policies available to other states. But we don't need Washington, D.C., to dictate those policies. Let the governors have that competition," he said.
FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2020 file photo Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, foreground, gestures during his State of the State address as Senate president Karen Fann, R-Prescott, right, and House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, left, listen in on the opening day of the legislative session at the Capitol in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin,File) (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin,File)
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"I learned that when I ran for office and won in 2015. I met John Hickenlooper and Steve Bullock and I understood that they didn't want Washington, D.C. running Colorado and Montana any more than I wanted them running Arizona," he added. "And I think other Democratic governors would feel that way in many situations as well. They might want to do the same policies as the White House, but they want to do it themselves as the CEOs of their state."
Fox News' Jonathan Turley contributed to this report.