California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been taking a lot of heat—deservedly so—for the Golden State’s preparation for and reaction to the devastating wildfires that have torched the Los Angeles area. He was caught in an embarrassing fact check on live TV about a reservoir that was actually empty even though he had just said they were all full, he’s been caught up in a donation scandal where he asked contributors to use the notorious Democrat fundraising machine ActBlue, he’s shown a lack of leadership by saying things like “the local folks are gonna figure that out” when asked about the fire hydrants that didn’t work, and so much more.
But on Monday, it just got plain weird.
To wit: as he was being interviewed about the catastrophe, surrounded by the destroyed homes of heartbroken residents, he flashed his pearly whites and began a weird shoulder-shifting dance. No really:
I wasn’t really concerned about developers buying up all of the property devastated by the California wildfires until Gavin did his weird shoulder shimmy dance while talking about developers buying up all the property devastated by the California wildfires pic.twitter.com/k1VHJQVjMr
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) January 13, 2025
I’m sort of at a loss for words with this one. What was that? It’s not only behavior that is totally inappropriate for the situation, but it’s also downright bizarre.
Presidential material? I think not:
As CA Wildfires Torch His Political Career, Gavin Newsom Launches a Personal Fact-Check Site
Gavin Newsom Gets Nailed With a Brutal Fact-Check Live on Air About Fires
He was talking about the future of the destroyed neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, but frankly I’m not sure anybody heard what he was saying because they were wondering just what the hell he was doing:
While discussing the potential of property speculators swooping into the once coveted neighborhoods afflicted by the fires — Newsom grins ear-to-ear and does an effective shoulder shimmy while trying to calm residents’ fears.
“I was just talking to Josh Green, the governor of — down in Hawaii,” Newsom says with an apparent chuckle and toothy smile.
The well-gelled governor then shimmies his shoulders up and down while saying: “[Green] had some ideas about some land use concerns he has around speculators coming in, buying up properties and the like so we’re already working with our legal teams to move those things forward and we’ll be presenting those in a matter of days, not just weeks.”
The internet wasn’t about to let this one slide by, and creative (and funny) users didn’t disappoint. Perhaps Gavin thought he was auditioning for a bongo video?
Stop it 😂😭💀 pic.twitter.com/84cbrMSzDb
— Politi_Rican 🇵🇷 𝕏 🇺🇸 (@TheRicanMemes) January 14, 2025
Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo, who also put this and another similar moment to music, had a good line when he asked, is he “auditioning for a boy band?”
“Newsom’s gestures are like a snake lulling its victim with rhythm until it strikes. Is he a politician—or auditioning for a boy band?” says @RaymondArroyo. #IngrahamAngle #SeenAndUnseen pic.twitter.com/0XSMPBDyKe
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) January 14, 2025
I’m not going to speculate on what’s behind this strange behavior, but I can tell you this: as a resident of the City of Angels who knows a number of people who have lost their houses or who have been evacuated, it seems highly unseemly to me. I enjoy mocking Gov. Hair Gel, as many like to call him, because he deserves to be roundly mocked whenever possible. He has been failing this state for years, and he’s continuing to fail during these awful fires, and I do not forget that—even when there’s a comedy moment like the bongo-playing—we are living through a profound tragedy.
Sometimes when you want to cry, the only thing you can do is laugh.
