Bed, Bath, and Beyond CEO Responds To Newsom’s Social Media Post

Something about a bankrupt home goods store calling out the Golden State has left California’s political elite scrambling—and the chaos might be exactly what we’ve come to expect from a state that treats job creators like enemies.

Bed Bath & Beyond, or rather its newly rebranded parent company, just made a move that sent shockwaves through the liberal establishment: it publicly declared that it has zero interest in doing business in California ever again. Not now, not later. Not even for appearances.

The statement came straight from CEO Marcus Lemonis, who didn’t bother with corporate fluff or political tightrope-walking. His words were blunt: California is simply too overregulated, too expensive, and too hostile for any sane business to operate in. No stores. No leases. No plan to ever return.

And it’s not hard to see why. Lemonis laid it all out—crushing taxes, mandated wage hikes, and an endless thicket of regulations that make it nearly impossible to employ workers or serve customers without losing your shirt. For a company trying to rebuild after bankruptcy, the math just doesn’t add up in the Golden State. So they’re out.

Rather than address the legitimate concerns from a national brand, Governor Gavin Newsom chose the only move left in his increasingly shallow playbook: mockery. With the finesse of a moody teenager, Newsom jumped on X and posted a snide one-liner dismissing the company entirely. “The company that already went bankrupt and closed every store across the country two years ago? Ok.” That’s it. That’s the leadership. Sarcasm and eye-rolling in the face of economic decline.

But not everyone in California 🏛️Politics is playing along with the governor’s smug dismissal. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan—also a Democrat—seemed to recognize that when a company with name recognition publicly blacklists your state, maybe it’s time to start listening. Mahan called the situation “serious” and said California needs to stop shooting itself in the foot. He even had the nerve to suggest that cities like his are trying to clean up the mess Sacramento keeps making. That was enough to trigger Newsom’s communications team into full attack mode.