California governor Gavin Newsom hammered Mike Pence's idea to have some sort of "automatic death penalty" for mass shooters, as a "pathetic" solution to a growing problem.

RACHAEL MADDOW: In terms of some of the specific proposals that we did hear from these candidates tonight. One of the I think more memorable proposals possibly was former Vice President Mike Pence saying that he would solve school shootings by instituting a fast death penalty process. A federal expedited death penalty for school shooters. And he attacked Governor Ron DeSantis for the fact that the Parkland shooter is alive and behind bars and hasn't been killed yet. I just wanted your reaction to that.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. He's been saying this now for months, I cringe every time I hear this.

Has anyone read these manifestos? I just finished the Buffalo Manifesto -- in every one of these manifestos, they talk about the fact that they believe they're either going to be killed or they're going to take their own life. What a joke, that that somehow is a deterrence.

Number one killer, number one killer of our kids is guns. And that was a solution tonight. That was a debate, the next President of the United States, around how to deal with mass shootings.

I don't want to say disqualified, but honestly, for a former vice president, pathetic.

Newsom then proceeded to head on over to Sean Hannity and mop the floor with the Fox host.

Newsom's spin-room appearances were a bright spot in the midst of the Republican shitshow.