Gavin Newsom faces left-wing backlash over 'cheap homophobia jokes' targeting GOP rivals on social media

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. ESPN host Stephen A. Smith discusses a report alleging Democratic strategists are pushing for a ‘straight, White, Christian man’ for their 2028 presidential candidate on ‘Hannity.’ Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., is facing backlash from the left over his social media tactics and "cheap" homophobic jokes that his accounts have used to target Republican rivals, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Newsom's press office account on X has targeted members of the GOP with references to "Grindr," a popular LGBTQ+ dating app. The X account replied Wednesday to a post from Benny Johnson regarding reports of alleged fraud in California. "We got a call from Grindr after this and said your team was their biggest users. Congrats!" Newsom’s office wrote. It was not the first time the office had used Grindr as a punchline. In January, Newsom’s office responded to anot