Revisionist history found California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) dismissively talking about the “spirit” of draconian lockdowns and “hindsight.”
(Video Credit: CNN)
In the further misadventures of the Patrick Bateman lookalike and pal of The Science™, CNN’s Jake Tapper, an admission on beach closures came six years after a fact most people had seen as obvious at the time. After first taking a swipe at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Newsom offered, “I mean, the idea that we closed beaches was insane, in hindsight.”
“Obviously, the schools taking too long [to reopen]. A lot of districts were open, but the big ones weren’t. LA refused, and I regret that, obviously,” continued the governor in the clip from a Montana fly fishing trip with Tapper released Tuesday.
The topic of COVID came up after transitioning from a clip of Newsom taking the Lord’s name in vain while joking about the temperature wading through mud, with Tapper downgrading years of fearmongering about a pandemic to assert the “biggest challenge he faced was the COVID epidemic.”
“There needs to be like a 9/11 Commission on COVID, you know. What we did right. What we did wrong,” the journalist said while flicking his rod about after having remained silent in the immediate aftermath of the release of the Fauci Diaries.
Notably, the trove of documents revealed Tapper had been chummy with the then-director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Anthony Fauci, including hosting the anchor with his wife, Jennifer Tapper, at his home while publicly advising families to skip Thanksgiving.
“Look, everyone’s a genius in hindsight,” came Newsom’s response as he agreed with the CNN personality who wondered at what might have been. After talking about his own focus on hand sanitizer, the governor swiped at DeSantis over the Florida executive’s temporary restrictions on beaches.
Absent from the take was context, as in Florida, DeSantis left beach closures up to local communities and only issued a crackdown on thousands of spring breakers continuing to revel in spite of initial concerns about superspreader events.
This stood in stark contrast to the once-Golden State, where skate parks were filled with sand and individuals keeping their distance from everyone were subject to arrest, like a lone paddleboarder near the Malibu Pier.
Lone California paddle-boarder seen cornered by police, taken away in cuffs sparks fierce debate https://t.co/tHaaTSP0es
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) April 3, 2020
After both Newsom and Tapper took a position as proponents of reopening schools, a clip from a March 2021 interview was aired with the anchor questioning his guest about the infamous rules for thee but not for me dinner at The French Laundry.
“I already gave you sh*t for French Laundry. That was a long time ago,” said Tapper as Newsom feigned self-flagellation, “I gave myself sh*t.”
Describing it as a “boneheaded decision” made while “exhausted” to celebrate a friend’s birthday, the governor with White House aspirations talked of mandates as mere suggestions as he insisted, “It was just against the spirit of the rules that I was promoting.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
- Newsom looks back at his own COVID rules and calls one of them ‘insane’ - September 16, 2026
- Seven Republicans break with Trump as House votes to rein in his Iran war powers - September 16, 2026
- Judge blocks Trump’s name from Kennedy Center — hours later, board votes to close it - September 16, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.