Why do people hate gavin newsom?

1. Policy outcomes that sting everyday Californians

Frustration maps onto lived problems: critics blame Newsom for California’s high cost of living, persistent homelessness and stalled projects such as the high‑speed rail, narratives pushed by conservative watchdogs and state Republicans who list these as top failures and cite rising living costs and project overruns as evidence ^{[1] [2]}. Opponents point to homelessness at record highs, cost burdens far above national averages, and the rail program’s repeated funding gaps as concrete reasons people hold him responsible ^{[1] [3]}.

2. The COVID era and charges of hypocrisy

The rancor intensified during the pandemic when Newsom’s leadership style and personal choices—most notably the French Laundry dining episode—became emblematic of a leader seen as telling the public strict rules he did not always follow, a dynamic that helped fuel a 2021 recall campaign and long‑lasting resentment ^[6]. That episode and broader complaints about his pandemic messaging feed a narrative of “do as I say, not as I do” that political opponents and late‑night satire have repeatedly exploited ^{[6] [3]}.

3. Personality: branded as elite, slick and performative

Beyond policies, Newsom’s manner and origins—San Francisco wealth, cultured public persona and media savvy—have solidified an image of him as an out‑of‑touch, elitist politician; longform profiles and think‑tank critiques describe him as “slick,” “swank,” and someone who seeks the national spotlight rather than quietly governing ^{[7] [8]}. That image makes policy failures feel personal and provides fodder for cultural criticism that transcends specific bills or programs ^[7].

4. Caught between conservatives and the progressive left

Newsom suffers politically from being attacked from both sides: conservatives cast him as incompetent or corrupt, compiling “top ten” lists of failures and accusing him of mismanagement, while some on the left criticize him for coziness with big money, insufficiently bold tax stances and foreign‑policy positions—illustrating why some progressives label him a danger to a more transformative agenda ^{[1] [4]}. This dual‑axis of critique magnifies dislike because he lacks a broad base of unquestioning defenders when controversies erupt ^{[1] [4]}.

5. Political ambition and the optics of national positioning

Newsom’s national profile and reported presidential aspirations make local voters and opponents view state problems through a magnified lens; critics argue he prioritizes national positioning and a polished brand over fixing persistent state challenges, a line of attack advanced in opinion pieces and commentary as he emerges as a national contender ^{[9] [10]}. That perception turns policy shortcomings into evidence he’s playing a long game for himself rather than governing for Californians ^{[10] [7]}.

6. Where criticism crosses into misinformation—and where it’s grounded

Not all attacks are equal: nonpartisan reporting and state commentators note a substratum of exaggerated or false claims—such as distorted takes about water shipments for firefighting—while also acknowledging legitimate, verifiable grievances over governance and policy tradeoffs ^[5]. In short, some opponents inflate errors into scandals, but core complaints about housing affordability, homelessness, infrastructure and pandemic conduct have measurable roots that fuel sustained popular dislike ^{[5] [1]}.

Conclusion: a politics of competence, persona and polarization

Dislike of Newsom is not monolithic; it blends substantive policy failures and tradeoffs with cultural and symbolic grievances amplified by partisanship and media narratives, leaving him vulnerable to attacks from both ideological flanks and to caricature in satire and opinion journalism ^{[3] [8] [7]}. Reporting shows a mixture of provable policy shortcomings, genuine political choices, and episodes of overstated criticism—together explaining why so many people hate, or intensely dislike, Gavin Newsom ^{[1] [5] [4]}.