Overview
- California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office replied on X that Benny Johnson’s team were the “biggest users” of Grindr, a gay dating app.
- Critics online called the remark homophobic, and Justice Department civil-rights official Harmeet K. Dhillon said it used homosexuality as a slur.
- A Newsom spokesperson defended the post and mocked the criticism, saying the team loves gay people and calling detractors “conservative snowflakes.”
- This was at least the third Grindr reference from the account, which outlets say often uses Trump-like taunts to boost the governor’s profile.
- The exchange followed Johnson’s posts about alleged California fraud tied to a House Republican hospice probe, which he says Newsom’s team tried to deflect with insults.