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Newsom’s admission that California’s beach closures were “insane in hindsight” unleashed fierce criticism from figures who say the governor was warned from the beginning, while renewed scrutiny follows other pandemic restrictions and prolonged school closures.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Newsom admitted California’s decision to close beaches during the COVID 19 pandemic was “insane in hindsight.”
- Conservatives and Californians argued the beach restrictions were clearly misguided when Newsom imposed them.
- Newsom also acknowledged that California’s largest public school systems remained closed longer than they should have.
- California’s restrictions fueled frustration that contributed to the 2021 recall election, which Newsom survived.
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom set off a fierce online backlash after conceding that the state’s decision to close beaches during the COVID-19 pandemic was “insane in hindsight.”
The admission came during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper released this month, as reported by Fox News.
Newsom made the comment while fly fishing in a Montana river with Tapper. Before addressing specific mistakes, he offered a familiar excuse about the benefit of looking backward.
“Look, everyone’s a genius in hindsight, so, you know, coulda, woulda,” Newsom told Tapper.
When Tapper asked what he would have done differently, Newsom said people initially treated the pandemic like a “Purell-based crisis.”
He said too much attention went toward hand sanitizer shortages and price gouging instead of the virus itself.
Newsom then acknowledged that the beach shutdowns were among several decisions he now regrets.
He also conceded that California’s largest public school systems remained closed longer than they should have.
“The idea that we closed beaches was insane in hindsight,” Newsom said.
The belated confession quickly ignited a social media firestorm.
Conservatives and some Californians argued that the policy was not merely foolish in retrospect, but was obviously wrong when Newsom imposed it.
Republican former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt rejected Newsom’s hindsight defense.
full story at https://www.lifezette.com/2026/09/newsoms-insane-covid-admission-ignites-viral-fury-we-all-told-you/