California Governor Gavin Newsom trolled conservatives who've vowed to boycott the Super Bowl because halftime show performer Bad Bunny previously dressed in drag—by posting a now-infamous photo photo of Vice President JD Vance in drag.
Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper and singer, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, will be the first Latin male artist to headline football's largest event.
Critics have lashed out over the news, saying that Bad Bunny, a vocal critic of the Trump administration, will "divide" the country. They also suggested he is "demonic" for previously performing in drag, alleging he will ruin what they feel is supposed to be a "patriotic" event.
Newsom hit back at these critics by posting the photo of Vance in drag and mockingly wrote:
"“Im bOyCoTtInG ThE SuPeR BoWl bEcAuSe bAd bUnNy dReSsEd iN DrAg”
You can see his post and the photo below.
@NewsomPressOffice
The photo of Vance in drag was first circulated last year, shortly after President Donald Trump announced Vance would be his running mate.
The photo's source, Travis Whitfill, claimed it was taken by a Yale student in 2012, during the time Vance was attending law school there. The Daily Beast was told that the photo was "from a group chat of Vance’s fellow classmates and is from a friend of a friend," and that it "was grabbed from Facebook and was taken at a Halloween party.”
The photo has done no favors for Vance, who while in the Senate introduced the “Protect Children’s Innocence Act,” a bill intended to criminalize facilities that offer gender-affirming care to minors, and has promoted baseless Republican attacks that drag queens are "groomers" who sexualize children.
People loved Newsom's response—and mocked Vance themselves.
Vance has not responded to Newsom's post but it's pretty clear he doesn't have a leg to stand on where this is concerned.
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