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'Recall Gavin Newsom' trends as he dubs Greg Abbott ‘reckless’ for ending Texas mask mandate: 'What a hypocrite'

California Governor is facing major backlash over his handling of the pandemic with calls for him to step down growing louder

California Governor Gavin Newsom is facing massive backlash after criticizing Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Newsom ripped into his Texan counterpart over Abbott's decision to end all Covid-19 restrictions in the Lone Star State. With both California and Texas facing massive Covid-19 cases and deaths, the two contrasting approaches are a good example of how polarized American society is at this moment.

Democrats and liberals took to Twitter to criticize Abbott's decision, which will allow businesses to open with 100% capacities while there is no need for masks. Within minutes of the order, Newsom retweeted an AP story covering the issue and said "absolutley reckless". It didn't take long for Twitter to school him with conservatives criticizing his harsh lockdown measures, while others calling him out for not following the restrictions himself. Within minutes #RecallGavinNewsom was trending on Twitter. Newsom is currently facing a massive political crisis with vaccination roll-out, increasing number of unemployment fraud cases and chaotic handling of the pandemic all pushing activists to get him to resign. 

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Newsom's handling of Covid-19 in the spotlight

In December 2020, Newsom put California under some of the strictest regulations in the country. However, the state still has one of the highest rates of infections. Newsom was also criticized back in September after he announced that the tracking system had produced inaccurate case numbers. In November, Newsom was also caught at a dinner in Yountville failing to follow the Covid-19 restrictions he himself announced. Images showed several people crowded around a table without maks, earning the ire of many Californians who were forced to stay at home.

A January 28 state audit has also found that the amount of fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits could top $10.4B between March and December 2020. Most of the money allegedly went to ex-felons who managed to fool the system. Now, Newsom is also facing criticism over the Covid-19 vaccine rollout. The confusing eligibility rules meant that 40% of California's vaccines were sitting unused in early February. 

Overall, things don't look good for Newsom. His approval ratings are around 40% and he now faces the real risk of being removed from office. A 'recall Newsom' campaign is currently running statewide and has 1.8M signatures, according to the website recallgavin2020.com. Now, Twitter has joined in as well, to remind the Governor of his precarious situation.

'Newsom is a hypocritical douchebag'

Many users tweeted their strong sentiments against the Governor, with one user saying "Newsom is a hypocritical douchebag. & he’s getting recalled. Worst governor ever. Next to creeper sleaze Cuomo." Another harsh tweet said, "Your stupidity is "absolutely reckless." 

Some also reminded Newsom that if the recall petition is successful, he would face voters later this year. One user tweeted, "Happy to have signed the recall petition and look forward to vote against you this fall." Another asked, "How many days of school did your kids miss?" referring to the fact many children from low-income families were forced to miss school since they didn't have access to internet or laptops/tablets. Another user said, "Look who thinks he can judge other governors..." One said, "Here’s Gavin Newsom dining inside a restaurant that’s in the Purple Tier (not allowed for indoor dining). What a hypocrite. Shame on you @GavinNewsom."