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Gavin Newsom, king of blame: You’ll never guess whose fault it is this time

Gavin Newsom has mastered one political skill above all others: how to avoid blame. 

Since taking office in 2019, California’s governor has turned deflection into a high art form, rarely missing an opportunity to blame everyone and everything except the person actually in charge.

From wildfires to homelessness, budget black holes to high-speed rail boondoggles, everything is someone else’s fault.

Californians have watched this unfold over eight years with a mix of amusement, exasperation and outright shock, as Newsom gallivants across the globe to attack Trump — who, in a general sense, is to blame for everything.

In his first State of the State address in 2019, Newsom scaled back hopes for high-speed rail, a project from the Jerry Brown era that was already behind schedule and over budget. 

But later, instead of owning the fact that he was rejecting his predecessor’s policy, he blamed the media for “misinterpreting” his words. 

Wildfires have provided endless material for Newsom’s blame-shifting. Early in his term, he blamed “corporate greed” at Pacific Gas & Electric, and the unstoppable force of climate change. 

Never mind his abysmal state forest management, or budget cuts to fire preparedness, or regulatory red tape holding up common-sense prevention measures.

Then the Pacific Palisades and Altadena fires came. Thousands of homes burned as hydrants ran........

© New York Post