Gavin Newsom, determined to ‘fact-check’ conservatives, can’t even create an honest ad about his own state’s economy without using footage from Ukraine.
At a Glance
- Governor Newsom launched a fact-checking website to combat “right-wing misinformation” while simultaneously releasing an ad using foreign stock footage to promote California’s economy
- The ad contained footage from Ukraine and Estonia rather than California, destroying his credibility at the very moment he positioned himself as a truth defender
- After viewers quickly identified the European footage, Newsom was forced to delete and replace the ad
- The ad was intended to criticize President Trump’s tariffs while promoting California’s economy despite the state’s ongoing issues with high taxes and population exodus
Fact-Checking the Fact-Checker
In a stunning display of irony that would be comical if it weren’t so pathetic, California Governor Gavin Newsom launched a fact-checking website targeting “right-wing misinformation” while simultaneously releasing an ad promoting California’s economy using stock footage from Ukraine and Estonia. The advertisement, initially posted on X and scheduled to run on “Fox and Friends,” was supposed to showcase California’s booming economy and criticize President Trump’s tariff policies. Instead, it became a perfect example of leftist hypocrisy and the very misinformation Newsom claims to be fighting against.
The governor’s team apparently couldn’t find enough evidence of California’s economic prosperity within the state’s own borders, so they resorted to using footage of a warehouse in Ukraine and an office in Estonia. When social media users quickly identified the foreign footage, Newsom was forced to delete the ad and replace it with footage actually shot in America. You know your state’s economy is in trouble when you have to use footage from Eastern Europe to make it look good.
California’s Economy: Fantasy vs. Reality
The ad attempts to criticize President Trump’s tariffs, claiming they harm families and threaten America’s economic dominance. Meanwhile, California under Newsom’s leadership has been experiencing an exodus of businesses and residents fleeing to states with lower taxes and fewer regulations. The irony is thicker than the LA smog – while Newsom criticizes Trump’s economic policies, his own state has one of the highest tax burdens in the nation, crushing regulations that strangle small businesses, and a homelessness crisis visible on nearly every major city street.
Newsom’s fact-checking website aims to debunk claims about California’s economic issues and population decline, but the reality is undeniable. Major companies like Tesla, Oracle, and Hewlett Packard have all relocated their headquarters out of California in recent years. U-Haul consistently reports one-way truck rentals leaving California far outnumber those entering. These aren’t “right-wing talking points” – they’re facts that Newsom’s glossy, foreign-filmed advertisements can’t hide. Perhaps if the governor spent less time creating propaganda and more time addressing his state’s actual problems, he wouldn’t need to resort to Ukrainian footage to make California look prosperous.
The Political Calculation
This advertisement fiasco isn’t just about economic propaganda – it’s about Newsom’s barely-concealed national political aspirations. The ad and fact-checking website appear designed to position Newsom on the national stage as a defender of truth and a challenger to Trump’s policies. But like so many of his initiatives, this one backfired spectacularly, revealing the emptiness behind the polished façade. If Newsom can’t even produce an honest advertisement about his own state, why should Americans trust him with higher office?
The governor who lectures us about misinformation can’t even create a truthful advertisement about his own state’s economy. In typical leftist fashion, Newsom expects us to ignore what we can see with our own eyes – businesses leaving, homeless encampments growing, and middle-class families fleeing to states where they can afford to live. No amount of Ukrainian warehouse footage can cover up the reality of what progressive policies have done to the once-golden state. Perhaps instead of creating fact-checking websites to combat “misinformation,” Newsom should start by checking his own facts first.
