LOS ANGELES — Proper-wing influencer Benny Johnson escalated his feud with Gavin Newsom with a video that he mentioned confirmed a stretch of LA wanting like “a 3rd world hellscape” — simply days after the governor made a gross jab in regards to the married Johnson being on Grindr.
“This value $24 billion {dollars}? You’re pleased with this?” Johnson wrote on X, alongside a video of a person driving a motorbike via Skid Row.
“California within the Gavin-era is a 3rd world hellscape.”
The video titled “Driving in Los Angeles at Night time” was initially posted by YouTuber John Hicks, who rides via completely different neighborhoods and paperwork what he sees. Within the video, Hicks exhibits streets piled with trash and different indicators of city decay.
The video racked up practically 250,000 views on TikTok — it later surged to greater than 800,000 views after Johnson circulated it on X.
Johnson’s submit got here after Newsom’s workplace pushed again on viral claims that the state had “misplaced” $24 billion meant to fight homelessness.
The governor responded immediately, accusing Johnson of spreading misinformation and referencing a Wall Avenue Journal report that mentioned the influencer had been backed by rich donors to amplify pro-Trump messaging. His administration touted a 9 p.c decline in homeless numbers within the state.
“The identical Benny Johnson who took cash from Russia and was uncovered within the WSJ right now for being backed by billionaires to unfold pro-Trump propaganda is now peddling a beforehand debunked falsehood,” Newsom posted.
“Unsheltered homelessness is down 9%!”
Johnson fired again with a scorched-earth reply, accusing Newsom of presiding over many years of decline whereas enriching political allies.
“You might have spent the final 28 years in workplace promising to repair stuff,” Johnson wrote. “Have issues gotten higher or worse for California since then?”
The blowup is the most recent chapter in a feud between Johnson and Newsom that has been simmering because the starting of the month.
“The fraud uncovered in Minnesota was very dangerous,” Johnson wrote on X. “However Gavin Newsom’s California is much worse.”
He mentioned he plans to journey to the state to research what he claims is fraud tied to homelessness spending.
The governor’s press workplace responded to the submit, saying, “We’ll be certain Grindr servers are prepared….”
That response — from Newsom, who led the nationwide cost by performing same-sex marriages as mayor of San Francisco — drew gasps and criticism, together with from some who branded the assault “homophobic.”
The comment appeared to allude to on-line claims of outages of the homosexual hookup app throughout a high-profile conservative occasion involving Charlie Kirk, in addition to a jab at rumors circulating about Johnson.
Johnson vowed to sue those that “maliciously defame” him.
