California Governor Gavin Newsom stirred up significant online controversy after he reflected on the state’s decision to shut down beaches during the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it “insane in hindsight” in a recent interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
During the interview, which took place while he was fly fishing in Montana, Newsom explained that it’s easy to criticize decisions with the benefit of hindsight. He acknowledged that at the beginning of the pandemic, there was too much focus on issues like hand sanitizer shortages, describing this as a “Purell-based crisis,” rather than addressing the virus itself. He mentioned that the closure of beaches is among several choices he regrets.
Newsom also pointed out that some of California’s largest public school systems remained closed for too long, adding to the list of decisions he wishes he had approached differently.
This acknowledgement sparked a social media backlash, especially from conservatives and some Californians who felt that these mistakes were apparent at the time. Spencer Pratt, a Republican who previously ran for mayor of Los Angeles, remarked on X that Newsom’s reflection was too late, emphasizing that many had already pointed out the irrational nature of the beach closures back then.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon also took to X, recalling her legal battle to reopen the Orange County beaches, suggesting that Newsom had been aware of the flaws in his decisions all along. Commentators criticized Newsom’s remarks, with some referring to various strict measures he implemented, like arresting individuals for paddleboarding alone and filling skate parks with sand.
Others expressed disbelief, asserting that it was unreasonable to restrict beach access while allowing protests to occur in the same areas. Social media users continued to express outrage over what they described as contradictory policies during the pandemic.
California was the first state to enforce a statewide stay-at-home order, which impacted nearly 40 million residents, and it was also one of the last to resume normal in-person learning. Faced with significant criticism for his administration’s pandemic response, Newsom survived a recall election in 2021 after being elected in 2018.
As conversations about the government’s COVID-era decisions remain prevalent, questions still linger about how they were handled. Recently, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, invoked the Fifth Amendment multiple times during a Senate hearing regarding his role in the pandemic response.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Governor Newsom’s office for further comments.
