California Governor Gavin Newsom's been in China this week, mugging with Xi Jinping, signing meaningless climate accords with the CCP, test driving fake Tesla trucks made by a blacklisted Chinese manufacturer. What better way to memorialize the trip than to have a Zoolander-style photoshoot at the Great Wall?
I first became aware of the Great Wall visit when Fox Los Angeles reporter Elex Michaelson, who's accompanying Newsom, tweeted a short candid video.
.@GavinNewsom checks out the Great Wall of China 🇨🇳
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) October 26, 2023
He tours with @USAmbChina and is hosted at a reception focused on building bridges with America. pic.twitter.com/1BC4QGad2L
I could tell that Newsom was having fun posing for the cameras and rolled my eyes, hoping he had the self-awareness to not actually send out a photo from the Great Wall (given his dictatorial bent), but that hope was in vain. Within hours, his office sent out a still to their press list. Politico's Christopher Cadelago posted the still:
Gavin Newsom’s office sends out this pic of him at the Great Wall in China. pic.twitter.com/dFo5mtkCEp
— Christopher Cadelago (@ccadelago) October 26, 2023
The reaction was harsh and immediate. Even some in the Sacramento press corps publicly registered their eyeroll.
Then Twitter got to work doing what it does best - used the photo to create memes.
— Unwoke Hope (@Unwokehope) October 27, 2023
Why doesn't Newsom want a photo where he can show off his handiwork?
It sure beats the views in his home state. 🧟💊💉 pic.twitter.com/RVFM9QAGif
— Mark Fabela (@markdfabela) October 26, 2023
Newsom missed this brazen robbery, which took place in Los Angeles earlier this week...
So, the picture was fixed for him.Someone fixed the glamour photo: pic.twitter.com/4DDS6TEiHy
— Bob Becker (@Bob_916) October 27, 2023
Sometimes words are necessary, though, to fully describe the vibe Newsom was achieving.
What's sad is that he looks like every washed up wannabe actor/producer in Hollywood who's hoping he made enough $ - and still has the looks - to bag a somewhat younger hot woman who doesn't need a boob or face lift yet #GavinNewsom pic.twitter.com/maYbdBHpWs
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) October 27, 2023
We're not buying what he's selling.
Sometimes a man is just an idiot.
— Jules! (@sparkly_jules1) October 27, 2023
Ineffective.
The new fragrance from Calvin Klein.
Available at Macy's. pic.twitter.com/CnhxFAScsW
Despite Newsom's denials, we know he's got his eyes on the Oval Office and this trip is part of that effort.
This is for @hezzopolis, @RoxanneHoge, & @jenvanlaar. pic.twitter.com/lwMJaU5cNb
— Jonathan Zachreson (@JZachreson) October 27, 2023
Overall, though, the optics of the trip aren't what Newsom would have liked. As South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem commented:
Pictured here is a man who promoted lockdowns, routinely strips individual Freedoms from his citizens, and has little regard for the free market. Also pictured is Xi Jinping. pic.twitter.com/NJOmZ6lRUj
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) October 25, 2023
Despite the terrible reception the still image received, Newsom's office made it worse, tweeting a short video touting bridges, not walls. (Insert eyeroll here)
The Great Wall is proof that doing big things takes time — and it requires working together.
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) October 26, 2023
We’re continuing to build our partnership with China to tackle the climate crisis together.
It’s time to move beyond the walls of the past to the bridges of the 21st Century. pic.twitter.com/nWO17A6VXi
The overwhelmingly negative reaction to Newsom's trip and his attempts at garnering good publicity show that the bloom is definitely off whatever rose he had at one point, and provides hope that the rest of the country won't fall for his sales pitch.
UPDATE: Some Twitter users, including RedState's Bob Hahn, provided additional memes that warranted inclusion. Enjoy!
Bob Hahn's wasn't an exact copy of the photo, but he surely captured the vibe.
— Robert A. Hahn (@Robert_A_Hahn) October 28, 2023
From our Bob Hoge:
Chairman Newsom hard at working solving crime, gas prices and homelessness in California. pic.twitter.com/GXjnfVwrXC
— Bob Hoge (@Bob_Hoge_CA) October 28, 2023
I'd forgotten this simple, but very true, meme from a Twitter friend:
You forgot one! 🤣https://t.co/DGxCif4wFY
— Cartel California (@Cartel_Cal) October 28, 2023
What a view: pic.twitter.com/i1fXvGqeGW
— Don Penim (@Don_Penim) October 28, 2023
Join the conversation as a VIP Member