California Gov. Gavin Newsom's wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, is defending her husband's absence from the public eye following his abrupt withdrawal from the United Nations Climate Change Conference last month.
At the time, a spokesperson for Newsom's office cited "family obligations" as a driving factor for cancelling the governor's trip, but declined to elaborate when pressed for details – something his wife alluded to late Sunday in a since-deleted tweet.
"It's funny how certain folks can't handle truth," she tweeted. "When someone cancels something, maybe they're just in the office working; maybe in their free time they're at home with their family, at their kids' sports matches, or dining out with their wife. Please stop hating and get a life."
A screenshot of the tweet was grabbed by The Sacramento Bee's Sophia Bollag before it was taken down.
In lieu of an in-person appearance at COP26 in Scotland, Newsom – who beat a recall attempt against him in September – opted to participate virtually. However, that appearance reportedly did not materialize.
The governor's last public appearance was on Oct. 27, when he received his COVID-19 booster shot at an event in Alameda County.
The couple has four kids ages 5-12, who themselves have been in the headlines several times during the COVID-19 pandemic.
KCBS Radio has reached out to the governor's office for comment but has not yet heard back.
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