Newsom blasted for declaring 'we're done' with Walgreens for restricting abortion pills: 'Utter hypocrite'
Walgreens previously closed stores in San Francisco due to rising retail crime
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that his state would officially cut ties with Walgreens in a blasted tweet.
Newsom responded to news from Friday that Walgreens would not distribute mifepristone, an abortion drug, in 20 states after facing pushback from GOP attorneys general in February. The liberal governor promised that the pharmaceutical company would face consequences for this action.
"California won't be doing business with @walgreen -- or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women's lives at risk. We're done," Newsom tweeted.
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Several right-leaning Twitter users attacked Newsom for openly campaigning against Walgreens for purely political reasons.
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"I can't wait to see how seniors react to their governor trying to shut down their local pharmacy over a political fight," Republican communicator Matt Whitlock wrote.
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NewsNation reporter Zaid Jilani tweeted, "About a year ago Newsom tweeted objecting to Florida rolling back a subsidy to Disney was an attack on free speech but he is cutting off state business with Walgreens over a disagreement on abortion."
"You should check in with San Francisco and see what a disaster their similar bans on states they disapproved of ended up being for them economically while accomplishing none of the stated intents," Townhall.com columnist Brad Slager explained.
National Review contributor Pradheep Shankar commented, "If you were complaining about RDS and Disney, and not now complaining about this, you are an utter hypocrite. Where are all of you in calling out this?"
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"Pretty sure Walgreens is done with you guys, too," journalist Ian Miles Cheong declared.
"That @GavinNewsom -- he won't stop until he runs every business out of CA," actor Nick Searcy tweeted.
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However, many liberal social media users expressed their support for the move and applauded the governor for standing up for "women’s rights."
"All blue state governors should follow California's lead on this," podcaster and author Kimberley Johnson wrote.
Gerber Kawasaki CEO Ross Gerber declared, "Proud to live in a state that cares and protects women's rights! @Walgreens you are dead to me. $WBA."
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Attorney David Lurie argued, "Harming women should not be good for business in the United States."
"Far-right special interests are making progress in their plot to ban abortion nationwide, with @walgreens recently announcing it won't distribute abortion pills in some states where abortion remains legal. @GavinNewsom is right to hold extremists and their enablers accountable," Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., wrote.
Author Qasim Rashid noted, "All red states combined are 29% of USA's GDP. All blue states combined are 71% of USA's GDP. California's economy is 15% of USA's GPD. Walgreens chose to capitulate to right wing extremism & now they're suffering the economic consequences. Good old free market economics."
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In Feb. 2022, Walgreens announced plans to close a store in San Francisco citing "a number of factors" regarding "dynamics of the local market and changing buying habits of our customers." However, this announcement came four months after Walgreens previously closed five locations in California due to "organized retail crime."
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The tweet also followed filmmaker Michael Moore calling for a nationwide boycott of Walgreens.
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"This decision by Walgreens to further cement women's status as second-class citizens must be met forcefully by each and every one of us. Every day of our silence since last Thursday is another day of you and I enabling this bigotry and misogyny," Moore wrote. "Please join with me and others in a NATIONWIDE BOYCOTT OF WALGREENS. They must reverse their decision immediately."