California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) attempted to defend himself after photos surfaced showing him maskless at an NFL game in Los Angeles.
Newsom told reporters at a news conference basketball star Magic Johnson was “generous enough to ask me for a photograph. And in my left hand’s the mask and I took a photo.”
He added, “The rest of the time I wore it as we all should.”
Another reporter continued to press him on the issue, asking if Newsom should have reconsidered taking the mask off “for the photo, for the image, the message that it might send.”
Newsom replied, “I was trying to be gracious, and I made a mist — you know, I mean, I was trying to be gracious.”
He continued, “I took the mask off for a brief second. But I encourage people to continue to wear them.”
Check out his comments below:
Gavin Newsom defends going maskless at an NFL playoff game, and encourages everyone else to mask up. pic.twitter.com/eWcuAXpmiA
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 31, 2022
In case you missed it:
TV cameras captured a maskless California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom hugging Magic Johnson last night in violation of his own mask mandate.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 31, 2022
The video contradicts Newsom's assertion today that he only removed his mask "for a brief second" when he "took a photo." pic.twitter.com/kTOjBOlT0F
Toddlers are being forced to wear masks all day long in school. Maybe one day they’ll be governor or the mayor of LA and they won’t have the follow the rules they impose on others. pic.twitter.com/YGJDZeBxGA
— Senator Melissa Melendez (@senatormelendez) January 31, 2022
CNN noted the Los Angeles County mask mandate requires individuals to wear masks indoors and at large sporting events regardless of vaccination status.
Others criticized Newsom for failing to wear a mask around Johnson who has HIV.
Gavin Newsom posed with a man who has HIV without a mask on. https://t.co/rClm22BdnQ
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 31, 2022
Newsom previously received criticism after photos of the governor surfaced showing him at a dinner party in November 2020, appearing to violate COVID-19 protocols.
EXCLUSIVE: FOX 11 obtains exclusive photos of Gov. Newsom at French restaurant allegedly not following COVID-19 protocolshttps://t.co/VHC9lHu4V1
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) November 18, 2020
Via @BillFOXLA
The woman who took the photos told Fox 11, “I just happened to look over and realize hey is that Gavin Newsom, who is that? And I did ask one of the waitresses and she confirmed it was, so I was able to take a couple of photos, I was able to document this especially since nobody was wearing a mask. It was a very large group of people shoulder to shoulder, something that he’s always telling us not to do so yeah it was a bit annoying for sure.”
During a press conference, Newsom apologized for the incident.
“It was in Napa, which was in the Orange status, relatively loose compared to some other counties,” Newsom said.
He added, “It was to be an outdoor restaurant.”
Newsom explained he wanted to apologize “because I need to preach and practice, not just preach.”