Gavin Newsom didn’t come out of his corner with gloves flying in defense of Kamala Harris in the 2024 election cycle.
Many speculate that may be because a Kamala victory would delay a White House run of his own.
And now Gavin Newsom is throwing a toddler-like tantrum to keep you from seeing this one image.
Join or die
Benjamin Franklin is one of the most important figures in the foundation of the United States.
He also is credited with crafting the first political cartoon in American history with this “join or die” illustration in May of 1754.
Political cartoons have been a lasting part of the political process ever since.
Politicians live in fear of being negatively immortalized in lead or ink.
These cartoons have a way of cutting through the minutia and capturing the emotion of an event.
And that certainly was the case with the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.
Make America California?
A.F. Branco has been drawing right-of-center political cartoons for many years.
In November 2015, he published a collection of his work in the book, Comically Incorrect: A Collection of Politically Incorrect Comics.
Branco followed that up in 2018 with Make America Laugh Again: The Comically Incorrect Cartoons of Antonio F. Branco.
As a native Californian, the wildfires burning through Los Angeles have caught the artist’s attention.
#California pic.twitter.com/DrD5ezeOQ1
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) January 14, 2025
Branco has appeared many times on Larry Elder’s radio talk show – so it didn’t come as a huge surprise when the former California gubernatorial candidate shared Branco’s latest cartoon.
The image features a caricature of California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom standing in front of an Armageddon-like scene with a fire blazing in the background.
Newsom poses for a picture with a huge grin and a thumbs up, all while donning a “Make American California” hat and a “Newsom 2028” shirt.
The message here is clear.
Newsom wants to win the White House in 2028.
And if voters award him with that promotion, they can expect to see his failings in the Golden State repeat themselves on a national level all across the country.
Newsom makes California burn again
While Branco’s cartoon speaks volumes to Americans, the tragedy in the City of Angeles is no laughing matter.
So far, the Los Angeles County wildfires have killed at least 20 people and burned through more than 40,000 acres – wiping out homes and buildings in their wake.
President-elect Donald Trump has called for Governor Newsom to resign.
And Trump is not without reason.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump posted. “He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, no firefighting planes. A true disaster!”
It appears Branco and Trump are of like mind when it comes to Newsom’s share of the blame for the fatal fires.
The one revision to the cartoon Trump likely would have advised would have been to change “Newsom 2028,” to “Newscum 2028.”
