Let me tell you about the latest chapter in the Democratic leadership playbook. California Governor Gavin Newsom wants America to see him as a moderate. He’s launched a new podcast. He’s interviewing conservative figures like Charlie Kirk. He’s attempting to position himself as a centrist Democrat who could appeal to voters across the political spectrum.

Newsom is clearly laying groundwork for a potential 2028 presidential run. The governor has been a vocal surrogate for Democrats on the national stage. His term limits as California governor expire in 2026.

However, a new bombshell revelation threatens to derail Newsom’s carefully crafted image.

Newsom secretly paid for his own monument inside San Francisco City Hall. According to a book released Tuesday, the California governor arranged for a bronze bust of himself to be sculpted inside City Hall to commemorate his term as mayor. Are you kidding me? While Californians struggle with skyrocketing costs and rampant crime, their governor was busy immortalizing himself in bronze.

The Secret Monument Newsom Didn’t Want You to Know About

The explosive details come from “Fool’s Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All,” written by Susan Crabtree and Jedd McFatter. The authors uncovered Newsom’s use of “behested payments” to fund his own tribute.

From ‘Fool’s Gold’:

An analysis of Newsom’s “behested payments” reveals that between late 2015 and early 2016 three private organizations each donated to a nonprofit called Community Initiatives. As it turns out, two of those payments came from companies owned by Newsom—Balboa Cafe Partners and PlumpJack Management Group. Newsom’s companies specifically earmarked these behested payments for “Mayoral Bust at San Francisco City Hall.”

You truly can’t make this stuff up.

The total cost of the bust was $97,000, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Balboa Cafe Partners and PlumpJack Management Group each donated $5,000. The H B and Lucille Horn Foundation contributed another $10,000.

“Behested payments” are donations that politicians in California ask donors to make on their behalf. They are widely considered corrupt. Especially when the payments provide some benefit to the politician.

‘I Don’t Even Know Who Those Supporters Are’

The most troubling aspect of this revelation? Newsom publicly feigned ignorance about the entire project.

“I don’t want to call it embarrassing, but it’s a strange thing,” Newsom told SFGate at the time. “I’m just awkward about it. But now the word is out.”

Newsom claimed the bust was “the brainchild of Newsom supporters.” He insisted it would “be paid for with private funds they will raise.” He even declared: “I don’t even know who those supporters and fundraisers are.”

The audacity is breathtaking, isn’t it? All while his own companies were secretly directing funds to the project.

The unveiling of the bust was a deliberately low-key affair. The San Francisco Chronicle noted it happened “with no fanfare, no press and only a few friends in attendance.”

California’s Real Problems Take Backseat to Newsom’s Legacy

Californians have responded with outrage to the revelation. ”

This is peak leftist arrogance—worshiping their own failures while everyday Californians suffer under their disastrous policies,” one critic told the Daily Mail. Another added, “If only he cared half as much about fixing his state as he does about immortalizing his own ego.”

The timing couldn’t be worse for Newsom. California continues to struggle with homelessness. Crime rates remain a concern. The state recently battled devastating wildfires. Yet their governor found time and resources to secretly fund a monument to himself.

This revelation comes as Newsom attempts to rehabilitate his image. He shocked the political world by condemning transgender women in sports during his podcast with Charlie Kirk. Many saw this as a calculated move to appear more moderate ahead of potential national ambitions.

Newsom has been governor since 2019. He survived a recall attempt. Before that, he served as mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. During that time, he was married to Kimberly Guilfoyle, who now serves as President Donald Trump’s Ambassador to Greece.

Look, we’ve seen this movie before. Liberal elites who talk about serving the people while building monuments to themselves. Is this the type of leadership Americans want in the White House? Someone who secretly funds monuments to themselves while their state struggles? The answer seems clear to anyone who values genuine public service over self-promotion.

Key Takeaways:

• Newsom used his own companies to secretly fund a $97,000 bronze bust while publicly denying knowledge of the donors.
• California’s governor prioritized personal vanity over addressing the state’s homelessness and crime crises.
• This revelation exposes the hypocrisy behind Newsom’s calculated attempts to rebrand as a moderate before 2028.
• Politicians who immortalize themselves while their states suffer demonstrate the worst of elite liberal leadership.

Sources: Breitbart, Daily Mail, The San Francisco Chronicle