Gavin Newsom roasted for picture of him reading 'banned books' he says states are 'afraid of'
'I bought some plastic drinking straws for the same reason,' one critic said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., was slammed on Twitter after posting a photo of himself reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, next to several other books he suggested some states are "afraid" of because of censorship.
"Reading some banned books to figure out what these states are so afraid of," he tweeted Wednesday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference after meeting with students at James Denman Middle School on Oct. 1, 2021, in San Francisco, California. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes | Getty)
Newsom appeared to reference bills in states, such as Tennessee, that would require schools to scan their libraries and make sure all books are age appropriate and deem certain books "obscene."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I bought some plastic drinking straws for the same reason. The store put them in a plastic bag," lawyer Ted Frank of the Hamilton Law Institute said. He also appeared to take a dig at the increased crime throughout the state of California by suggesting Newsom "be a victim of a carjacking to see why so many other states prosecute crime."
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Dr. Eli David, Deep Instinct co-founder and Forbes Technology council member, asked who was going to tell the governor that "To Kill A Mockingbird" was banned in certain school districts over concerns of racism.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Author and Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters said the book Newsom appeared to be reading in the photo was a "terrible novel."
Students in pre-kindergarten read a book by Alan Katz during OfficeMax's "A Day Made Better" presentation at Hurlbutt Elementary School on April 26, 2010, in Weston, Connecticut. (Wendy Carlson/Getty Images for OfficeMax)
Sen. Ted Cruz's, R-Texas, communications director Steve Guest said Newsom was taking a "page out of LeBron Jame's playbook," and included a screenshot of a headline that said, "LeBron James is the king of reading the first page of books."
Others asked if he was posing at the French Laundry, an exclusive spot where Newsom was spotted maskless in November 2020.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Is this the French Laundry? I’ve never been able to get a reservation (and I’ve tried)," journalist Josh Barro asked.
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Mike Bird, an editor at the Economist, responded to Barro, saying that Newsom had five books to read, so "good luck getting one anytime soon."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Virginia state House of Delegates representative, Nick Freitas, said Newsom "graduated from coloring books."
"Just remember Gavin, 1984 is a cautionary tale, not a guide," he said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks Dec. 17, 2021, at a news conference in Dublin, California. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group via AP)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Newsom faced a recall election in September 2021 as many felt he mishandled the state's response to COVID-19. California had strict restrictions in place when it came to schools, places of worship and businesses.
The California governor remained in office as a majority of voters said "no" to the recall question on their ballots.