Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said he “literally started tearing up” when he toured former President Barack Obama‘s library in Chicago as part of its exclusive grand opening ceremony on Thursday.
Newsom attended the invite-only ceremony with his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Together, they extolled the Obama Presidential Center.
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“Everybody feels that spirit and that pride that we’ve been missing, and we didn’t realize how much we’ve been missing it, and we’ve been missing it because of the divisiveness,” Newsom said in a response to a reporter’s question. “We’ve been missing it because we have people that, frankly, are unworthy of their positions,” he added, alluding to President Donald Trump.
While pointing at the new presidential library, the Democratic governor said, “There we saw onstage people that were worthy of what our Founding Fathers lived and died for.”
Siebel Newsom chimed in, saying the singing and dancing at the event were “so joyful” and the speeches were “incredible.”
Though Trump wasn’t invited to the ceremony, he was on the minds of its speakers. Former first lady Michelle Obama said her husband never “lashed out in frustration” or “lost your temper” while he was president, implying Trump is emotionally volatile. She also noted how Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, his first year in the presidency, while Trump was snubbed for the award last year.
During his own speech, the former president said the United States was founded 250 years ago on the principle that “there will be no kings” but “only citizens.” The anti-Trump No Kings movement has picked up momentum since last year.
Speaking with Siebel Newsom, the reporter asked what she had to say about the news that the Department of Justice is investigating her for possible tax-related crimes related to a nonprofit group she founded. When posed with the question, she deflected.
“I’m just so grateful for this inspiration and leadership,” Siebel Newsom said of the leadership displayed at the Obama Presidential Center’s opening. “We need more of this.”
Newsom then briefly ranted about how political retribution “happens in other countries” but not in the U.S.
In a video announcement on Monday, Newsom revealed he and his wife were the subjects of a DOJ investigation as he weighs a 2028 presidential campaign before leaving office in January 2027. The governor previously told Trump to “leave my wife and family out of your personal vendetta.” On Thursday, he appeared defensive of his own family again.
“You want to go after me? Go after me,” the governor said while pointing to himself and looking into the camera.
OBAMA’S $850 MILLION PRESIDENTIAL CENTER OPENS WITHOUT AN INVITATION FOR TRUMP
The investigation was not opened by the main DOJ office in Washington, D.C., CNN reported. Instead, it is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. A separate investigation focuses on Newsom’s former chief of staff.
The opening ceremony for Obama’s library was attended by former Presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, as well as numerous Democrat-friendly celebrities, including Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey, in addition to the Newsoms. The Obama Presidential Center is set to open to the public on Friday to mark Juneteenth, a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S.
