California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom was slammed on social media Monday after he appeared to violate the state and county mask mandates while attending the NFC Championship game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
During the matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, Newsom was photographed maskless with L.A. Lakers legend and NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Johnson posted the picture to his Instagram page, as well as other pictures with L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, actor Rob Lowe, and L.A. Dodgers Executive Vice President Lon Rosen.
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The maskless photo of Newsom violates the state of California’s indoor mask mandate, imposed by Newsom himself in December and extended through February 15, as well Los Angeles County’s mask mandate, which is enforced by SoFi Stadium. Pressed on the issue at a news conference Monday, Newsom claimed he only took the mask off to take the pictures with Johnson. “I was very judicious yesterday, very judicious, and you’ll see the photo that I did take, where Magic was kind enough, generous enough to ask me for a photograph, and in my left hand is the mask and I took the photo,” Newsom said. “The rest of the time I wore it, as we all should, [except] when I had a glass of water, or anything, and I encourage everybody else to do so. And that’s it.”
Pressed again by another reporter on his history of violating mask mandates, and on the potential message it would send to flout mask rules again, Newsom doubled down. “I was trying to be gracious,” he said. “I took the mask off for a brief second. But I encourage people to continue to wear them.”
“We need to be vigilant, and we need to maintain that vigilance. I did so, with that exception, and I look forward to continuing to maintain vigilance in the future,” he added.
Gavin Newsom defends going maskless at an NFL playoff game, and encourages everyone else to mask up. pic.twitter.com/eWcuAXpmiA
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 31, 2022
Unfortunately for Newsom, his mask cannot be seen in the picture with Johnson, and Outkick’s Clay Travis pointed out that Newsom went maskless for more than just that photo:
California governor Gavin Newsom said he only took his mask off for a “brief second” for a photo at 49ers-Rams. Here he is on live TV during the game without his mask on. Liars gonna lie: pic.twitter.com/AiQOcb740y
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 31, 2022
Gavin Newsom claimed he took his mask off for just a second at 49ers-Rams. The Bud Light fan cam proves otherwise. This dude is a complete and total liar: pic.twitter.com/sdRMt3MD2I
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 31, 2022
And Fadde Mikhail, sports and entertainment agent and Republican Congressional Candidate for California’s 26th Congressional District, tweeted that he sat two suites over from Newsom and said he never wore a mask during the entire game.
FYI…I was two boxes down from Gov. @GavinNewsom . Not once, was he wearing a mask. IF our governor doesn’t wear a mask in a stadium with 80K in it, why the hell should anyone be wearing a mask. #CA26 #ImRunning for you.
— Fadde (@fadde) January 31, 2022
Twitter users blasted Newsom for flouting his state’s own mask rules, with many pointing out that while Newsom was rubbing elbows with celebrities, students in his state would be forced to wear masks when they went to school Monday morning:
Yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom went maskless for the NFC Championship game.
Today, California students will be required to wear a mask for 8 hours during school.
— Lance Gooden (@Lancegooden) January 31, 2022
So greasy @GavinNewsom says he only took his mask off at the game to that a photo. I guess COVID doesn’t spread when you take photos! Good to know!! Thanks, Gavin!
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) January 31, 2022
. @GavinNewsom is lying. He's in photos and on video with no mask on the entire game, walking up to Johnson and shaking his hand while maskless with no food or drink. Stop. https://t.co/JaPD06iqyH
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) January 31, 2022
What’s going through Newsom’s head when he smilingly poses for a photo without a mask while the entire state of California is under his own mask mandate? pic.twitter.com/S99QxvTcWT
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 31, 2022
Maskless Newsom…. pic.twitter.com/rA7Zg6UhDj
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) January 31, 2022
Governor Newsom continues to keep California under a state of emergency, and with an executive order in November, extended his emergency powers until March.
He is pictured here violating his own statewide indoor mask mandate.
It’s not the first time he’s broken his own rules. https://t.co/hel53X0N9T— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) January 31, 2022
Here’s California governor Gavin Newsom, unmasked indoors at the NFC championship game in LA. But today every kid in his state will have to wear a mask at school. This is all complete and total insanity. pic.twitter.com/XlRjzeC8Jl
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 31, 2022
In light of his conduct at the football game, and in light of what empirical data and common sense have long dictated, I'm calling on Gavin Newsom to end the school mask mandate.
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) January 31, 2022
No mask for the Governor but kids have to wear masks at school?
Outrageous.
Where is the Sacramento media?! Do your damn jobs! @GavinNewsom @shelbygrad https://t.co/X5yt8EWO0e
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) January 31, 2022
HIV positive guy can be around 80,000 people unmasked while hugging @GavinNewsom, but six year olds must be masked in school.
Evil tyrants. pic.twitter.com/amEswJQtic
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) January 31, 2022
The maskless guy on the right is the same Governor who is doing everything in his power to mandate vaccines and masks on our children.
Gavin Newsom knows he’s a hypocrite, and doesn’t care. pic.twitter.com/0haCSlLE0J
— Joey Gilbert (@joeygilbertinc) January 31, 2022
Newsom has a history of flouting mask mandates, as do Garcetti and Breed, but they aren’t the only high-profile politicians to flout mask mandates in their home state. The Daily Wire reported earlier this month that New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was seen entering a popular restaurant in the state without a mask. The restaurant owner blasted Gillibrand on social media, writing, “I guess Senator Gillibrand thinks that the Governor is wrong or she is special and above the rules.”