Gavin Newsom has a potential 2028 White House bid to worry about, a Department of Justice investigation hanging over his head, mysteriously absent tax returns, and a state where crews just hauled 13 million pounds of garbage out of one single park. So naturally, on Tuesday morning, the governor of California hopped on X to call Joe Rogan a coward. Priorities, people.
As USA Journal reported, the whole thing started when Vice President JD Vance sat down with Rogan for a nearly three hour podcast conversation on Monday. The discussion kept coming back to California, with both guys saying they genuinely love the state but believe Democratic governance has sent it spiraling. Rogan mentioned friends trapped in Los Angeles who feel like they cannot get out. Vance argued that America shouldn't give up on California because the state is too central to our national identity. "Politics ruined it," Rogan said, which is about as blunt as a sledgehammer to the face.
The two covered homelessness, sky high taxes, rampant corruption, and a cost of living that makes your wallet weep. They talked about the mass exodus of residents fleeing to Texas, Arizona, and Florida. You know, just observable facts that anyone with eyeballs can confirm.
So how did the governor respond to this substantive, hours long critique of his leadership? With a deeply mature and thoughtful rebuttal? Of course not. Newsom posted this gem: "Joe Rogan is too chicken to have me on, so he and JD Vance spent three hours in their California Derangement Syndrome safe space. How cute!"
Ah yes, "California Derangement Syndrome." Because when you cannot actually dispute the criticism, just label it a psychological condition and call it a day. That tent city downtown? Derangement syndrome. Those 13 million pounds of waste from MacArthur Park? Also derangement syndrome. Hundreds of thousands of people relocating to other states? Definitely not a rational response to terrible conditions. Nope, they are all just deranged.
Here is the beautiful irony though. Rogan has previously called Newsom a "conman" and a "cardboard cutout of a person" right there on the record for millions to hear. That is not exactly the behavior of someone who is afraid of Governor Hair Gel. That is someone who already sized Newsom up and rendered a pretty devastating verdict.
One user on X nailed the absurdity perfectly: "He's busy calling Joe Rogan a chicken right now. He doesn't have time for fires." Another observer pointed out that picking a fight with Rogan is perhaps the single dumbest strategy for someone who needs to win over exactly the audience that listens to that podcast.
And here is the cherry on top. Nearly a year ago, Newsom publicly declared he was "moving on" from these kinds of feuds. He has demonstrably, spectacularly, almost impressively not moved on. The man is under federal criminal investigation with missing tax returns and a political future that depends on voters developing collective amnesia, and his best move is posting playground insults at a podcaster.
If this is what Newsom's 2028 campaign strategy looks like, somebody might want to check if there is a refund policy on political consultants.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
