California Governor Gavin Newsom faced widespread criticism over the weekend after claiming on a podcast that his family “hustled” to pay bills while he was growing up. Many questioned his attempt to portray a working-class background given his family’s well-documented connections to wealth and influence, as reported by Fox News.

During an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast Saturday, Newsom described being raised by his mother, whom he said “came from no money and just hustled” by working multiple jobs.

Sacramento, CA – Sept 6, 2024: Governor Gavin Newsom speaking at a press conference discussing new emergency regulation on hemp products currently being sold in grocery stores.

“It was also about paying the bills, man. It was just like hustling, and so I was out there, kind of raising myself, turning on the TV, just getting obsessed. I was sitting there with the Wonder Bread,” Newsom said before the hosts interrupted him with laughter.

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He continued:

“Come on, the macaroni and cheese! This is how I grew up, bro. Every day in the backyard just bouncing the basketball, throwing the ball against the wall until the ball is just like frayed… that’s it. Whole thing.”

Conservatives quickly responded to Newsom’s remarks with disbelief, mocking what they viewed as an exaggerated retelling of his upbringing.

“His dad worked for Getty oil,” comedian Adam Carolla said.

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Georgia State University professor Rob Jenkins joked, “Next he’ll be telling us about the guy at the pool who used to rub his leg hairs.”

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OutKick writer Ian Miller commented, “Between the extremely wealthy and privileged Gavin Newsom doing this act and Zohran Mamdani faking tears over his family being the real victims of 9-11, you can see how bright the future of the Democratic Party is.”

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RedState columnist Buzz Patterson wrote, “I’m waiting for Gavin to break into a little Snoop, ‘Gin & Juice.’ What a fraud!”

Radio host Jesse Kelly also weighed in, saying, “Communists lie like they breathe. That’s why the long history of fake accents and fake backstories is so prevalent on the Left. They have nothing moral against telling the lie. The recipient has nothing moral against being told the lie. Everyone just marches on as if it’s normal.”

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Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon replied simply, “G thang.”

American Majority CEO Ned Ryun added, “The dude is such a weirdo.”

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In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for Newsom told Fox News Digital that the governor has been open about his upbringing.

“Anyone with more than an inch of curiosity would know that Governor Newsom was raised by his mother after her divorce from his father when he was a toddler. He has talked about moving between two different worlds, but he was raised by a mother who worked three jobs at one point — secretary, waitress, and paralegal,” the spokesperson said.

Newsom’s father, William Alfred Newsom III, served as a state appeals court judge and was an attorney for Getty Oil Company.

The governor’s remarks come as he continues to raise his national profile, with speculation about his potential political ambitions beyond California.

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