It has been a rough stretch for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the man widely rumored to have presidential ambitions despite what can only be described as an epic record of failure. His state is home to a multi-billion-dollar train to nowhere, the largest homeless population in the country, a steady exodus of residents and businesses, and vast areas of Los Angeles still struggling to recover after the 2025 wildfires. Quite the résumé.
When Newsom decided California’s mounting problems could wait and chose instead to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this month, he was sharply criticized by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who highlighted how poorly the governor has managed the Golden State. Apparently, global photo ops rank higher than fixing things at home.
The embarrassment continued when Newsom was blocked from delivering his planned speech at the USA House pavilion in Davos and instead watched President Donald Trump address the gathered elites, making clear that American economic and military strength remains firmly in place. That must have stung, especially for someone trying so hard to look like a world leader.
Now that Davos has wrapped up, Newsom is facing a new wave of ridicule back home. Street art titled “Comrade Newsom” has appeared in Los Angeles and Sacramento, depicting the governor in communist-style attire. Subtle? No. Effective? Absolutely.
Humor has always been one of the most powerful political weapons, and images like this manage to capture in one snapshot what many Californians feel. They also revive memories of Newsom’s 2023 admission that San Francisco streets were only cleaned up because Chinese President Xi Jinping was visiting—after which they quickly returned to their usual unsafe and unsanitary state.
Whether or not the artwork turns out to be the work of the well-known street artist Sabo, the message is unmistakable: Californians are using satire to express frustration with leadership that has delivered more spectacle than solutions.
And in a state desperate for real progress, it’s refreshing to see creativity being used to highlight the truth. Sometimes a single image can say what years of speeches cannot—and that kind of honesty is always a positive step forward.
