Governor Gavin Newsom has once again found himself at the center of controversy after making a homophobic remark aimed at a conservative influencer. The backlash was immediate and widespread.

The incident began when the governor’s press office responded to a post by Benny Johnson, who had suggested that Newsom should be “terrified” about ongoing fraud investigations in California. In a reply that drew sharp criticism, Newsom’s team quipped, “We got a call from Grindr after this and said your team was their biggest users. Congrats!”

This is not the first time Newsom’s office has used Grindr, a popular dating app for gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals, as part of their rhetoric against critics. This marks at least the third instance where such a reference has been employed, raising eyebrows and anger among many.

Among those who voiced their disapproval was Harmeet K. Dhillon, who serves as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department. Dhillon took to social media platform X, pointing out the irony in Newsom’s comments. “It’s so odd to see the former mayor of the most gay-friendly city in America, San Francisco, use homosexuality as a slur,” she commented. “Weird!”

The governor earned swift backlash for the remarks, including from Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department.

“It’s so odd to see the former mayor of the most gay-friendly city in America, San Francisco, use homosexuality as a slur,” she wrote on X. “Weird!”

“Gavin Newsom’s press people regularly and casually use homosexuality as a way of shaming and demeaning or mocking,” another wrote.

Staffer: “sir, we’re falling out of touch with young, liberal voters.”

Newsom: “have we tried calling people gay on the internet? Like as a slur?.”

Staffer: “yes, actually.”

Newsom: “great – let’s do it again” pic.twitter.com/KoM2RS7aKw

— Chris Bakke (@ChrisJBakke) March 26, 2026

Johnson himself responded directly to Newsom’s office, accusing the governor of insulting journalists who expose fraud in California.

“Your reaction to journalists exposing fraud in your state is to smear us with lies — never to fix the fraud,” he wrote on X. “Americans hate fraud, Gavin. We’re tired of being ripped off. Stop attacking the people who are doing YOUR job and trying to end fraud. People are over it.”

The governor’s office brushed off allegations that the post was homophobic, adding that they “love” gay people.

“We love gay people and it’s very woke of you to ask about this! We’re sorry some conservative snowflakes had their feelings hurt,” it told The Daily Mail. “We hope they recover!”

Newsom has slammed Johnson in a similar fashion in the past.

“We’ll make sure Grindr servers are ready…” his office wrote in reaction to Johnson saying his team was traveling to California.

Newsom’s press office has a reputation for being aggressive, often mimicking President Trump’s all-caps Truth Social posts or mimicking his language.

The California Post contacted Newsom’s office for comment.

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