California Governor Gavin Newsom sharply criticized President Donald Trump on Tuesday, calling on “every human being” to be “disgusted” by Trump’s recent sharing of a racist video on his Truth Social account. The video, which depicted former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, was part of a larger post concerning unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
“It’s disgraceful. It’s racist. It’s abhorrent,” Newsom stated during a press conference. He further rebuked the White House’s response, which attributed the posting to an unnamed staff member, and Trump’s refusal to apologize, despite acknowledging he had instructed a staffer to share the video but claimed he hadn’t seen the content itself. “In any other circumstance that person would be fired… He did none of the above,” Newsom said.
Newsom expressed disbelief that the incident appeared to be quickly overshadowed by the news cycle. “I can’t believe that was washed away just with another news cycle. How the hell is he allowed to get away with that?” he questioned.
The Governor also took aim at House Speaker Mike Johnson, accusing him of “countenancing that racial video” after Johnson stated Trump had been unaware of the video’s content before it was posted.
The controversy comes as the White House faced questions regarding its social media practices. Earlier Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was pressed on whether the administration had a “social media problem,” following the incident with the Obama video and a separate post on Vice President J.D. Vance’s account referencing the “Armenian genocide” – a term the U.S. Government typically avoids. Leavitt declined to comment further on the video depicting the Obamas, according to reports.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senate’s sole Black Republican, previously described the video as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
Newsom has a history of criticizing Trump’s social media activity and has adopted similar language and tactics in his own online communications. Prior to the Super Bowl, Newsom declared February 11th “Bad Bunny Day” in California, a move seen as mirroring Trump’s tendency to make pronouncements on social media and echoing the former President’s past mispronunciation of “Puerto Rico.” Trump, in turn, supported an alternative Super Bowl event featuring Kid Rock.
Last year, Newsom explained his strategy of mirroring Trump’s social media approach, stating, “I hope it’s a wake-up call to the President of the United States following his example. If you’ve got issues with what I’m putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns about what he’s putting out as President.”
