'We Would Have Done Everything Differently': Gavin Newsom Takes Mulligan On Botched Pandemic Response

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who's definitely not running for President in 2024 (until he does), is now on a damage control tour to rewrite history over his draconian pandemic mandates, which made California the "single worst state in every way" when it came to lockdowns, according to state Rep. Kevin Kiley (R).

"I think we would’ve done everything differently," Newsom told NBC's "Meet the Press" in a pre-taped interview which aired Sunday. "I think all of us in terms of our collective wisdom, we’ve evolved. We didn’t know what we didn’t know. We’re experts in hindsight. We’re all geniuses now."

Even host Chuck Todd pressed Newsom on his lockdown strategy, saying "You found a way to allow the motion picture industry and the movie industry to get back to work during COVID, but you didn't allow people to grieve together at funerals or at churches."

California state Rep. Kevin Kiley (R) called Newsom out in a Sunday post on X, writing; 

Newsom is now admitting he botched California's COVID response. But this is not, as he claims, a matter of "hindsight" being 20/20. We fought back against his disastrous decisions at the time because they so clearly ran afoul of science, common sense, and the basic precepts of a free society.

Newsom now says "we didn’t know what we didn’t know." But all 49 other Governors knew better. California was the single worst state in every way: the most onerous school shutdowns, business shutdowns, and church shutdowns; the most draconian mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and vaccine passports; the most complete collapse of checks and balances, personal liberties, and self-government.

Despite all of this – despite the incalculable damage he did to our young people, our businesses, and our democratic institutions in the name of "public health" – California wound up with an excess mortality rate exceeding the national average, even though we had the benefit of a relatively young population.

At every turn, Newsom prioritized getting himself in the headlines and rewarding Special Interests over the health and well-being of Californians. It was the most consequential political failure in modern American history – and the most disgraceful.

Others echoed Kiley's sentiment: