Gavin Newsom was blasted after complaining that social media ‘misinformation’ is hurting residents in his state as fires are still raging.
The California governor spoke about his struggles during a briefing with President Joe Biden during a remote video briefing in the Oval Office.
‘I ask you, we gotta deal with this misinformation, there are hurricane force winds of mis and disinformation, lies, people who want to divide this country and we’re going to have to address that as well,’ Newsom said.
Newsom appeared deeply disturbed by recent conversations he had with his constituents that he felt were laced with unsuitable questions.
‘It breaks my heart as people are suffering and struggling [and] that we’re up against those hurricane forces as well,’ he said.
He spoke about narratives on social media as if they were a disease, that needed to be treated, calling them ‘very damaging.’
‘It infects real people that are out there, people I meet with every single day,’ he said, and added, ‘you wonder where this stuff comes from.’
But Newsom was quickly criticized for his focus on misinformation while his state remains on fire.
‘Disgraced Governor, Gavin Newsom, is more concerned about fighting misinformation, than helping Californians,’ wrote Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas on X.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, left, surveys damage in Pacific Palisades
United States President Joe Biden, joined by US Vice President Kamala Harris host a video screen briefing with Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Karen Bassand FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
‘Misinformation? Part of your state just lost their livelihoods, “fact-checkers” are not gonna fix this problem,’ he added.
‘I get a chill down my spine every time I hear a politician say we ‘have to deal with this misinformation,’ wrote comedian Bridget Phetasy.
‘HOLY SMOKES. Gavin Newsom is now playing the victim, claiming it’s “misinformation” that he failed on the fires,’ wrote social media user Johnny Maga on X.
‘Gavin Newsom needs to RESIGN,’ the Breaking911 account on X noted.
Other critics of Democratic leaders in the state also honed in on reports of fire hydrants in the affected areas left without enough water to fight the fires.
Biden encouraged Newsom and other officials to ‘speak plainly’ to the American people.
‘Let them know what we can and can’t do,’ he said. ‘We have to let people know that there is going to be things coming that are going to be available.’
The president blamed climate change for the increasing ferocious fires in California.
‘There is climate change, there is climate change, this is part of it and we have to deal with it,’ Biden said.
In a widely spread viral video, Newsom was chased down by a Los Angeles mom who tried to dodge her by appearing to pretend he was on a call with President Biden before he admitted he did not have phone signal.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tour the downtown business district of Pacific Palisades
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a briefing on the federal response to the wildfires across Los Angeles
A video of Bass standing silently and ignoring questions from a reporter about cutting the fire department budget also went viral as people flagged it as evidence of her incompetence.
President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly berated Newsom for failing to provide the City of Los Angeles with enough water to prevent drought and fight fires.
‘Governor Gavin Newscum should immediately go to Northern California and open up the water main, and let the water flow into his dry, starving, burning State, instead of having it go out into the Pacific Ocean,’ he said, referring to his favorite nickname for the leftist governor. ‘It ought to be done right now.’
The former and future president repeated that Newsom’s water and fire prevention policies in California were to blame for the horrific tragedy.
‘NO MORE EXCUSES FROM THIS INCOMPETENT GOVERNOR. IT’S ALREADY FAR TOO LATE!’ Trump added.
Biden chastised Newsom’s critics, saying the governor and mayor were getting a ‘bad rap’ about reports of unavailable water supplies.
‘Give me a break. What this is all about is utilities understandably,’ Biden said.
He argued that power failures were to blame for water shortages in fire hydrants and criticized people for not having enough information about the facts on the ground.
‘This is complicated stuff and you’re going to have a lot of demagogues out there trying to take advantage of it,’ he said.