Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) took to the court to play a game of pickup basketball with a bunch of kids and ended up tackling one of them to the ground during his recent trip to China.
Video surfaced on X on Sunday, showing the Democrat governor at a primary school in Beijing playing basketball with kids. At first the governor attempted to show off his skills by trying to spin the basketball on his finger. The first attempt failed before he tried a second time with a bit more luck.
He then followed that up by taking the ball and dribbling it down the court to the basket while surrounded by the children. On his way, Newsom did a couple of turns before launching full speed into the group of kids, ultimately plowing right into one boy and sending him to the ground.
“California Governor Gavin Newsom accidentally topples little kid during pickup game of basketball in Beijing,” one person shared on X.
California Governor Gavin Newsom accidentally topples little kid during pickup game of basketball in Beijing. pic.twitter.com/0m0Q3FFYfE
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) October 29, 2023
The group of onlookers standing on the court can be heard gasping and saying “ohh” loudly before the Democrat grabs the child rolls over on his back and then pops up on the other side, popping the kid a few times on his back.
He then helped the child up, gives him a hug and said “I got you,” before the two get back on their feet. Both can be seen smiling at the end. Newsom’s representative told Business Insider that the child was not hurt.
The governor was in the country on a weeklong trip to discuss various climate issues. A post on X from the CA Gov. office said that the visit was “focused on climate action, economic development and tourism, and working to actively combat xenophobia.”
A second post from Newsom’s office said the governor “ended his weeklong trip to China in Shanghai by touring the most productive Tesla EV plant in the world and launching a new climate partnership with the city. California is proud to continue working with Shanghai to accelerate climate action – cleaning up our ports, cutting emissions from shipping, and speeding up our transition to electric vehicles.”