Gavin Newsom tears into Biden for pardoning son Hunter: ‘I took the president at his word’
Gavin Newsom says he is ‘disappointed’ in Joe Biden after the president announced a shock pardon for his son Hunter.
The announcement has drawn ridicule from all sides of the aisle, either critical of the president’s decision or because he openly lied about it to the press in the months leading up to the decision.
Newsom, who has spent much of the year in a foxhole defending the ailing, 82-year-old president and acting as a surrogate — even after his debate disaster in Atlanta in June — finally appears to have had enough.
He opened with empathy for what the president had chosen to protect his son from a likely prison sentence.
“With everything the president and his family have been through, I completely understand the instinct to protect Hunter,” Newsom said Politics Tuesday.
However, he refused to accept that Biden had only lied about it in June, while White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not lie about it until November.
“But I took the president at his word. So by definition I am disappointed and cannot support the decision.”
It’s a sharp turn from the California liberal, who has remained in Biden’s corner to the bitter end this year.
Gavin Newsom says he’s ‘disappointed’ in Joe Biden after the president announced a shock pardon for his son Hunter
The announcement has drawn ridicule from all sides of the aisle, either critical of the president’s decision or because he openly lied about it to the press in the months leading up to the decision.
Newsom set his sights on national recognition this year, appearing on TV while clashing with Republicans like Ron DeSantis on social issues — and front and center at the presidential debate in June, where he adamantly defended Biden’s catastrophic performance.
While Newsom said claims he could replace Biden were “farcal,” his actions led to claims that the governor was placed in front of cameras during the debate as part of a plan to take power as the Democratic nominee.
The governor also dismissed the idea that Biden could be replaced, urging in a fundraising email to Democrats today: “Don’t look at 30 minutes… look at 3 and a half years of Joe Biden as president.”
His role as one of the Biden campaign’s key surrogates made him a target of Republicans who have repeatedly cited California as an example of Democrats’ mismanagement.
Newsom’s term as governor of California ends in January 2027, and he is a favorite to become one of the top candidates in the 2028 presidential race.
However, Newsom appears likely to spend the rest of his term battling Biden’s replacement.
The governor announced Monday he is seeking up to $25 million in additional funding for legal battles with Donald Trump, despite the state’s massive budget deficit.
The announcement came on the first day of a special session of the California Legislature devoted to preparing the liberal state for conservative Trump’s second term.
Newsom opened with empathy for what the president had chosen to protect Hunter from possible prison sentences
It’s a sharp turn from the California liberal, who has remained in Biden’s corner to the bitter end this year
Trump’s return to the White House is likely to reignite the hostile relationship between the couple.
The president-elect has repeatedly called the Democrat “Newscum,” criticized crime in California and ridiculed his electric car mandate.
If approved by the Legislature, the California Department of Justice and state agencies would receive the additional funding for lawsuits in areas such as reproductive rights, environmental protection and immigration.
“The new litigation fund will help secure critical funding for disaster relief, health care and other essential services that millions of Californians depend on every day,” the governor wrote in the proposal.
He added that the state plans to “defend against unlawful federal actions that could jeopardize not only tangible resources and the state’s economy,” but also the protection of reproductive health care and civil rights.
The fighting could also force the federal government to provide needed funding, Newsom said in a statement, citing successful legal skirmishes with the federal government during the first Trump administration.