Gavin Newsom Lore refers to traits, stories, and policy discussions surrounding California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. While technically a Democrat, Californians have known for a long time that he is not always or fully committed to a completely progressive agenda.
Why are people talking about Gavin Newsom?
After Vice President Kamala Harris lost the presidential election on Nov. 5, 2024, many Democratic party members began asking themselves who might run in 2028. They want someone from their party and many are pushing for another moderate Democrat like Harris.
Post-election discourse resurfaced a video clip from a November 2023 debate between Newsom and Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The clip—in which Newsom verbally steamrolls both moderator Sean Hannity and his opponent—has been making the rounds on X.com, causing users to wonder if maybe the California governor could be a contender in the next presidential race.
Most people outside the state of California aren’t fully aware of Newsom’s policies. Many see a classic white male Democrat with a history of governance who is reasonably good-looking, capable of delivering a speech, and young enough to live through two presidential terms.
What is the Gavin Newsom “psycho lore”?
A viral tweet posted by @cherryredgworl on Nov. 8, 2024, captioned a photo of Newsom reading Toni Morrison’s Beloved, “new hobby is reading about gavin newsom psycho lore.” The post racked up over 105K likes in several days’ time.
Similarly, Californians have stepped in to offer counterpoints in the form of certain unflattering details about their governor. Users on X have over the last few days referred to Newsom as an “anti-Republican psychopath” who “hates poor people,” a “real super villain” flopping from “extremely progressive bills to the most cartoonishly evil vetoes” and an “evil psychopathic villain,” to name a few.
Much of the Newsom lore referenced is personal and innocuous—like the fact that he has severe dyslexia and a near-photographic memory—while the rest of it concerns his political track record and policies. This is fueling the discourse surrounding the governor, with some folks positing that Newsom’s “psycho lore” could make him unfit to serve as the Presidential candidate for the blue party.
What has Gavin Newsom done that’s so bad?
Aside from the “psycho lore” about his personal habits, the most damning aspect of Newsom’s career is his administration’s love of sweeping homeless encampments. No, they don’t house the homeless or offer them aid: they simply come in and throw all their belongings in the trash, arresting anyone who objects. In these sweeps, homeless people lose everything they’ve managed to accumulate to survive, often including forms of I.D. necessary for receiving any available social services.
This might be a horrifying track record to many voters.
While his other failures or successes (depending on your perspective) as governor are less explicit, Newsom’s history in this department might qualify as “psycho lore” as well, though it’s less amusing than some of the tidbits about his personal habits.
Gavin Newsom meme examples
Not everyone is using the term “psycho lore,” as catchy as that is, but many users on X have been information on the man. It has become a pretty compelling trend on social media and everyone wants to know more. Could this end up helping Newsom’s campaign? Sadly, it probably could. Name recognition is name recognition.
More political memes:
- Nicole Scherzinger, Russell Brand, and the ‘Where Do I Get This Hat!!!?’ meme
- The Blue Friendship Bracelet Movement on TikTok is making people feel hope, anger, and 2016 whiplash
- 10 memes that defined the 2024 election season
- P’nut The Squirrel memes follow his untimely death
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.