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California Governor Gavin Newsom has sparked controversy with remarks about sending knee pads to CEOs, universities, and Republican figures who he claims are “bending the knee” to former President Donald Trump.
During a press event at the 2025 California Economic Summit in Stockton on October 22, Newsom made the provocative comments that quickly gained traction across social media platforms. Video clips of his statement spread widely on Instagram, Facebook, and X, with one post alone garnering over 70,000 views.
Newsom later amplified his remarks by sharing the video on his official X account with a caption written in all capital letters: “COMING SOON — NEW KNEE PADS FOR ALL CEO’s, UNIVERSITIES, AND GOP BENDING THE KNEE TO DONALD TRUMP. YOUR KNEES LOOK VERY SORE FROM ALL YOUR GROVELING. THEY WILL EVEN BE SIGNED BY YOUR DEAR LEADER SINCE YOU LOVE HIM SO MUCH! YOU ARE WELCOME!!!!”
In the full context of his speech, Newsom criticized what he described as a network of business relationships and political allegiances forming around Trump. He specifically mentioned Fox News host Laura Ingraham, saying she had business connections with Donald Trump Jr. and tech investor David Sacks through a SPAC (special-purpose acquisition company).
“Laura Ingraham now has a SPAC business. Imagine what your boss would say if you started to do business with me? That’s allowed. And she gets to be their spokesperson on the Pravda network, Fox, Prime Time,” Newsom said during the event.
The California governor went on to characterize these relationships as “the great grift, unprecedented in modern history,” suggesting that billions of dollars were at stake. He referenced several major companies including Intel, MP Materials, U.S. Steel, AMD, and Nvidia while questioning, “The hell is going on in this country? None of this is normal.”
It was at this point that Newsom introduced his knee pad comment, saying, “You will be seeing on my patriot site, new knee pads that I’ll be sending out – new signature series knee pads for all these CEOs, for the University of Virginia that I’ll add to the list today, for bending their knee.”
He continued by criticizing “those law firms, the universities, media companies as this guy [Trump] is rolling back, you know, rewriting history, putting us back to a pre-1960s world, censoring historic facts,” before concluding with, “Wake up everybody. Wake up.”
The “patriot site” Newsom referenced appears to be his online “Patriot Shop.” By October 24, just two days after his comments, the knee pads had indeed appeared on the website, listed at $0.00 but marked as “sold out.” The product description read, in part, “For all your groveling to Trump needs — now in Republican red. For the low low price of your soul.”
Newsom’s provocative rhetoric comes amid intensifying political tensions nationwide. The governor has positioned himself as one of the most outspoken Democratic critics of Trump and his allies, frequently using confrontational language and unconventional tactics to draw attention to his opposition.
The incident illustrates the increasingly personal and combative nature of political discourse in America, with high-profile figures like Newsom willing to employ merchandise and social media to amplify pointed political messages.
Newsom’s remarks at the California Economic Summit, an annual event focused on the state’s economic development, diverted significantly from traditional economic policy discussions to address what the governor perceives as dangerous political allegiances forming in business, academic, and media circles.
Neither Trump nor the specific organizations mentioned by Newsom have issued formal responses to the governor’s knee pad comments as of this reporting.
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7 Comments
While the knee pad remark may have been attention-grabbing, I think Newsom raises a valid point about the need to scrutinize the interplay between politics, business, and media. These types of connections can have significant impacts on policy decisions.
Governor Newsom’s comments raise valid concerns about the influence of powerful individuals and corporations in the political process. However, the knee pad remark may overshadow the substance of his broader critique.
I’m curious to learn more about the specific business connections and political allegiances Newsom referenced. Transparency around these types of relationships is important for the public to understand potential conflicts of interest.
Newsom’s comments highlight the complex web of relationships that can form between politics, business, and media. While the knee pad remark may have been over-the-top, the broader issue of transparency and accountability in these areas is an important one.
While Newsom’s language was rather colorful, the underlying message about the need for transparency and accountability in political-business relationships is an important one. Voters should be able to clearly understand potential conflicts of interest.
Interesting political commentary from Governor Newsom. While the knee pad remark is provocative, it highlights the perceived relationships between certain Republican figures and the former president. It will be intriguing to see how this plays out in the political sphere.
This seems like a complex issue without easy answers. I’m interested to see how the public and media respond to Newsom’s comments and whether they spur further examination of these alleged political-business connections.