(NewsNation) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is in the middle of assessing his state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a process he says is about “grace and humility.”
The “self-reflective critique” will look at policies the state implemented on mask mandates and lockdowns, as well as how vaccines were distributed.
“It’s about humility and grace, it’s about acknowledging the criticism. It’s about taking that to heart, about learning from the past so you don’t repeat it. It’s about being more prepared going forward,” Newsom said Tuesday on “CUOMO.”
Newsom recently told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “we would’ve done everything differently,” given what he knows now about the pandemic.
“None of us knew what we didn’t know. We’re all geniuses in hindsight; not just experts, geniuses,” he said.
During the pandemic, Newsom faced criticism over the strict lockdowns and mask mandates he implemented in the state; in fact, those moves prompted a recall effort.
He did, however, argue that there were some states too lax with restrictions, such as Florida.
“There’s a lot of revisionist history here on the pages, with all due respect, on the pages of The Wall Street Journal and others that are segmenting facts and winning the debate because we’re exhausted about this conversation,” Newsom said.
The governor said he recently brought together experts for a “three-day summit of sorts” to look at the state’s response and is building a “self-critical” report.
“I think we have not done the analysis, and we’ve not done justice to a self-reflective critique of our own relationship to this and the actions that we took, and I think that’s important for all of us, the American people,” Newsom said.