California Gov. Gavin Newsom has found himself in another controversy, this time after making several comments that are being interpreted as antisemitic and anti-Israel.
When addressing the media on Monday, Newsom addressed the deadly attack on a girls’ school during last weekend’s military strikes on Iran. The attack is estimated to have resulted in at least 150 deaths, and the United Nations’ human rights office has publicly demanded an investigation.
“We have to reconcile why our bombs were used, or Israeli bombs were used, to kill children, young girls at a school,” Newsom told reporters.
StopAntisemitism, a pro-Israel group, ripped Newsom on X, writing, “Shame on you.” The organization also argued that the deaths resulted from a misfired Iranian missile.
Shame on you @CAgovernor – an Iranian missile misfired and killed a school of young girls.
It was not the U.S.
It was not Israel.
As governor, it’s not a lot to ask for you and your staff to fact check vs. parrot lies. pic.twitter.com/4sJoRtfvoF
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) March 3, 2026
“As governor, it’s not a lot to ask for you and your staff to fact check vs. parrot lies,” the organization wrote.
NPR reported on Wednesday that the death toll is up to roughly 165, and the school might have been struck because of “outdated targeting information.” The school was within 100 yards of the perimeter of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Naval base.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday morning that an investigation is underway. Israel has publicly denied any involvement.
Further issues arose on Tuesday night, when Newsom discussed Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a speaking event promoting his new book, “Young Man in a Hurry.” At one point, Newsom used the term “apartheid state” to describe Israel; that phrase is widely considered antisemitic because it labels the world’s only Jewish state as an inherently racist project, which many see as a way to deny Jewish people their right to a homeland.
Newsom claimed that Netanyahu is “trying to stay out of jail” and is “potentially on the ropes,” which may have led to Israel and the United States jointly attacking Iran. Various senior Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have reportedly died since the initial missile strikes on Saturday.
“We’re talking about regime change?” Newsom said. “For two years, they haven’t even been able to solve the Hamas question in Israel.”
NEW
Tonight, at a book event in Los Angeles, Governor Gavin Newsom said that the United States is being pushed by Israel into a position where it may have to reconsider military support.
Newsom said that those who say Israel is an apartheid state are doing so “appropriately.”… pic.twitter.com/6UUBEH7hYD
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 4, 2026
The official StopAntisemitism account had not addressed Newsom’s Tuesday comments as of Wednesday afternoon.
Although Newsom remains among the early frontrunners to earn the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, he nonetheless continues receiving backlash for controversial statements. None were more significant than the recent SAT score fiasco, when Newsom went viral after quipping, “I’m like you,” when discussing his struggles with reading and his low test scores. However, many interpreted those remarks to be racially charged because Newsom made them to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who is Black, before a sizable Black crowd.
Newsom and his communications team then feuded with conservative media members, including Fox News host Sean Hannity, and accused them of manipulating the situation. That same week, social media widely mocked Newsom for repeatedly mentioning his family’s financial issues growing up when, at 24 years old, he appeared in a 1991 San Francisco Chronicle photo captioned “Children of the Rich.”
However, Polymarket still lists Newsom as the favorite to earn the 2028 Democratic nomination, with his 25% nearly three times the amount of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who sits second at 9%.
