Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared frustrated, angry and defiant in a July 29 interview with several California newspapers, at one point flipping out that everyone outside California is complaining about California.
The 60-minute interview, which took place virtually, comes as Newsom faces a recall election on Sept. 14.
During the video conference, Newsom and opinion writers and editors from The Sacramento Bee, The Modesto Bee, The Fresno Bee and The San Luis Obispo Tribune discussed the wildfires and the drought, the crime rates in the state, gun control and several other issues California faces.
Over its course, The Sacramento Bee noted, Newsom “sometimes pounded the table as he spoke. He challenged the premise of more than one question posed to him. He spoke of policy decisions that he predicted would be viewed favorably by history even if voters ‘kicked’ him out in this recall.”
Clips from the interview went viral and were circulated on social media, as Fox News noted.
“It would be nice if our homegrown team would be focusing on what’s right,” Newsom was shown yelling in one such clip shared in a Wednesday post on Twitter. “Everybody outside this state is b****ing about this state.”
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers will find offensive.
Newsom not doing so hot ? pic.twitter.com/LcTx2jJOSZ
— thehardhatintellectual (@MelanieMusey) August 10, 2021
“Guys, forgive me, I know I am a little pointed today but I’ve been taking a lot from you folks for a lot of months,” Newsom said, gesturing toward the journalists. “I should be able to express myself, too.”
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“I’m a future ex-governor,” he said. “It could happen in a few weeks, it could happen in a few years. I love this damn state.”
Throughout the interview, Newsom defended his scandal-ridden time as governor, lashing out at Texas and Florida — two states where people and companies leaving California over its high prices and policies unfriendly to commerce are flocking to — saying “eat your heart out” to the states about the jobs created in California.
Newsom faces strong opposition from several candidates running against him in the recall election. This includes Republican candidates Caitlyn Jenner and Larry Elder.
According to a poll from Emerson College, 48 percent of registered voters surveyed opposed the recall while 46 percent supported recalling Newsom, KPIX-TV reported.
With California being a Democratic state, where there are generally two Democrats for every one Republican, the GOP candidates also face a fierce battle since there are several of them crowding the field, according to Newsweek.
A crowded ballot means the GOP vote is likely to get fragmented, the outlet reported, noting that the optimum strategy for the GOP is to back a single candidate to unify the Republican votes.
Nonetheless, Democrats fear that Republicans might win if there isn’t enough turnout from their supporters in the recall election.
“I see a real scenario where the governor loses if people don’t come out and vote, if Democrats stay home, if Democrats underestimate the power of fake news, you know the power of rumors. We cannot stand still. I think we should have learned that with [former President Donald] Trump,” Democratic California Rep. Norma Torres told The Hill.
“The campaign needs to get going, and it’s good for the governor to hear that, get him out more and start taking this more seriously,” Torres said.
“He just has to focus on turnout. And I think he has to speak to the progressive base,” Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna added. “He’s got to make sure the progressive base really turns out.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
