California Governor Gavin Newsom admitted and doubled down on San Francisco’s decision to clean up its homeless encampments solely because Chinese President Xi Jinping and other prominent foreign elite leaders are coming to town.

He made the comments during a presser on Thursday, Nov. 13. He referenced it because it was a trending topic in the news.

(RELATED: San Francisco Clears Tent Encampments Ahead of China Trade Summit)

“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, causing the staffers standing behind him to soften their smirks.

“But it’s also true that for months and months and months prior to APEC we’ve been having different conversations,” Newsom claimed.

Learn the benefits of becoming a Valuetainment Member and subscribe today!

APEC, or the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, is a trade summit held between 21 different countries surrounding the Pacific Ocean. It will be the largest international event the city has hosted since 1945 and it is set to culminate with a meeting between Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden. In preparation for this event, the city of San Francisco has begun clearing away the homeless tent encampments in the area near the event location.

Feeling like he hadn’t said enough, Newsom spoke to the press again about the topic. “Any time you put on an event, by definition, you know, you have people over your house you’re going to clean up the house!”

“You got 21 world leaders, you got tens of thousands of people coming from all around the globe,” Newsom went on. “What an opportunity to showcase the world’s most extraordinary place, San Francisco.”

Journalist and filmmaker Mike Cernovich argued Newsom’s statement constituted a mockery of the people of San Francisco to their faces.

Add comment