Gavin Newsom Slammed for Only Cleaning Up San Francisco 'for Xi Jinping'

California Governor Gavin Newsom has come under fire after after admitting that San Francisco was cleaned up ahead of the arrival of "fancy leaders" for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit.

San Francisco is hosting the summit, which opened Saturday and runs through Friday. The main event is a planned meeting between President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.

In the days leading up to the event, homeless encampments in the city's downtown were cleared, sidewalks were polished, graffiti was scrubbed away and murals and decorative crosswalks were added to busy areas.

At a press conference on Thursday, Newsom acknowledged that the cleanup efforts were timed to coincide with the arrival of "fancy" leaders to San Francisco, which has been struggling to shed its image as a city in decline.

"I know folks say, 'Oh, they're just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming into town.' That's true because it's true," Newsom said.

"But it's also true, for months and months and months prior to APEC, we've been having different conversations. And we've raised the bar of expectation between the city, the county and the state, and our federal partners as well that we all have to do more and do better."

Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor, added that Californians will be "seeing a lot more of this all around town and all around the Bay Area."

He later told reporters that "obviously, any time you put on an event, by definition... you know, you have people over to your house, you're going to clean up the house."

The Democratic governor's remarks prompted a wave of criticism on social media. His office was contacted for comment via email overnight, and this article will be updated with any response received.

"Gov. Newsom orders homeless camps removed in San Francisco in an obvious attempt to impress his new best friend, China's Communist dictator," Melissa Melendez, a former California state senator, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"Pity he's had no desire to impress those who actually live in California."

Another person wrote that Newsom "unapologetically" admitted that he "only cleaned up San Francisco because [Xi] is coming to town—what he failed to explain is where all the homeless people are now..."

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the city did not have the funds to open up special shelters for APEC. Emily Cohen, a spokesperson for the city's homeless department, told the newspaper that the city was starting its winter shelter program in time for the event, opening a 30-spot shelter near where the summit is being held.

The city is beginning to expand capacity at other shelters that are already operating, but Cohen could not say how many of those beds would be available during APEC.

California Rep. Kevin Kiley, a Republican, wrote on X that Newsom "is trying not just to save himself from humiliation, but to hide the consequences of the failed policies he wants to impose on the rest of the country."

Newsom "admitted that the only reason officials cleaned San Francisco is due to Xi Xinping coming to visit later this week," political commentator Savanah Hernandez wrote.

"A reminder of the condition downtown San Francisco is normally left in & what children have to walk past everyday,' she wrote, alongside a video showing the city's drug and homelessness crisis.

Another person wrote that Newsom "cleans the streets of San Francisco for Xi Jinping, but not for you peasants. How does that make you feel?"

However, some noted that the cleanup efforts would be viewed as a positive.

"I hate to say this but the fact they got this done is going to be seen as a good thing," one person wrote. "It's clear Newsom will run in 2024. I think this will push him to the front."

Another added that it "is probably a good thing for SF, let's hope it stays this way."