California Gov. Gavin Newsom hammered MAGA ally and musician Kid Rock on Saturday over the songwriter’s participation in a bizarre video with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a video that Newsom said was so “creepy” that he would be “officially banning ‘Kid Rock’ from California.”
Uploaded to social media on RFK Jr.’s official government account, the video in question shows a shirtless Kid Rock and RFK Jr. working out together in a sauna, and was an apparent attempt at promoting the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
“I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH. AS GOVERNOR OF THE FREE WORLD, I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM, AM OFFICIALLY BANNING “KID ROCK” FROM CALIFORNIA. HIS SHIRTLESS VIDEO WITH ‘SECRETARY BRAINWORM’ WAS INAPPROPRIATE, CREEPY, AND VERY LOW ENERGY,” reads a social media post from Newsom’s press office.
“NOT WHAT YOU WANT AROUND OUR CHILDREN! ALSO, SOME OF THE WEAKEST PUSHUPS EVER WITNESSED. CALIFORNIA ONLY ALLOWS WINNERS! I AM ALSO BANNING WORKING OUT IN JEANS, VERY STRANGE! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GOVERNOR GCN”
While the announcement that Kid Rock was banned from California did come from Newsom’s official press office, the California governor has used the account to antagonize President Donald Trump with jokes and by mimicking his style of speech, a tactic Newsom’s used since last year.
I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH. AS GOVERNOR OF THE FREE WORLD, I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM, AM OFFICIALLY BANNING “KID ROCK” FROM CALIFORNIA. HIS SHIRTLESS VIDEO WITH “SECRETARY BRAINWORM” WAS INAPPROPRIATE, CREEPY, AND VERY LOW ENERGY. NOT WHAT YOU WANT AROUND OUR CHILDREN! ALSO, SOME OF THE WEAKEST…
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) February 21, 2026