California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner has returned to the campaign trail after taking time away to participate in Australia’s Celebrity Big Brother. She marked her return by visiting Venice Beach in Los Angeles and touring an encampment of homeless people living in a public park.
Jenner did not help or meet with the transient people in need, however, but complained with others that such people exist. “Where do they get these dilapidated campers?” she pondered aloud right in front of the press.
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Jenner has made condemning the amount of homeless people in California a key component of her attempt to recall of current Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and become governor herself.
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In May, shortly after launching her campaign, Jenner sat down with Fox’s Sean Hannity to explain that she decided to run because her wealthy friends didn’t like seeing homeless people in California.
“My hangar… the guy right across, he was packing up his hangar and I said, ‘Where are you going?’ And he says, ‘I’m moving to Sedona, Arizona, I can’t take it anymore. I can’t walk down the streets and see the homeless,’” Jenner said.
“I don’t want to leave,” Jenner continued, getting emotional about how awful it is to see homeless people and about how awful it is to be homeless. “Either I stay and fight, or I get out of here.”
Now she visited those homeless people.
“We have to reclaim our public space. We have to regulate our public space,” she told the gathered press.
“The homeless is a pandemic,” she claimed.
Caitlyn Jenner is walking by homeless encampments in LA and criticizing them as part of a campaign event. pic.twitter.com/iCwUq00HbV
— The Recount (@therecount) August 12, 2021
Caitlyn Jenner on California homelessness: "We have to reclaim our public space. We have to regulate our public space." pic.twitter.com/NC8Nd6ax3f
— The Recount (@therecount) August 12, 2021
Caitlyn Jenner: "The homeless is a pandemic"
(This is bad faith fear-mongering that doesn't address root causes.) pic.twitter.com/MpWI4TAiQ6
— The Recount (@therecount) August 12, 2021
Not everyone that was at the event was on board, however. At least one person protested Jenner’s presence there.
“You’re coming down with white lily promises, of what? You’re not the answer,” the protestor said. “We’re talking about people! Human beings on the sidewalk! Where are you gonna put them?”
Jenner did not appear to respond.
A protester criticizes Caitlyn Jenner's tour of the homeless encampments in Venice, CA:
"We're talking about people, human beings sleeping on the sidewalk. Where are you gonna put them?" pic.twitter.com/Vy116Lasca
— The Recount (@therecount) August 12, 2021
Jenner’s campaign has been marred by constant gaffes from the politically inexperienced first-time candidate: she doesn’t seem to have an inkling about how out-of-touch her wealth has made her, she lied about not voting in the 2020 election when she actually did vote, and she has insulted anyone who might ever support her campaign, from rightwing podcasters to transgender voters.
Then she ran off to Australia. Jenner participated in an upcoming season of Celebrity Big Brother, less than two months before election day in California on September 14.
Just before leaving, she said “obviously I would support” Donald Trump if he runs for president in 2024.
Jenner tweeted that her campaign will continue even though she’ll be on the other side of the world: “I am honoring a work commitment that I had made prior to even deciding to run for governor. There is no pause at all on this race to save CA!”
“My campaign team is in full operation as am I. I am in this race to win for California, because it is worth fighting for.”
She has consistently polled poorly with California voters. As of last week, she was tied for fifth place among GOP contenders with three percent support.
Her return does not appear to help her in that area.
Jenner just arrived back from Australia after weeks of filming Big Brother — in which she was paid a handsome fee — and one of her first orders of business is to sneer at the poors. https://t.co/M1BWnlZcg9
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) August 12, 2021
“Ewww, poors” https://t.co/3FVkfXcRn9 pic.twitter.com/J8K5eb2TrL
— Poli Alert (@polialertcom) August 12, 2021
I think she lives such a secluded life that she assumes most people live like she lives (mansions, yachts, private jets, etc).. so seeing homelessness bothers her and she assumes it bothers most people in the same way. That's the best I can come up with.
— Ali Em (@LeeRedSea) August 12, 2021
I remember the episode when Jenner took the kids to a homeless shelter & tried to show them to be humble & how to help others in need. Now it’s like the complete opposite !! Was everything an act then !!!
— Meidas_MoMof2☮️❤️🌈🌊✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿🇺🇸 (@WenM0Mof2) August 12, 2021
Same vibes. pic.twitter.com/giWC4STN6b
— Arye (@Mitpapipsa) August 12, 2021
It really says something about the state of American politics that a candidate set up a tour of a homeless encampment to then subsequently criticize the homeless https://t.co/aCy0chYbta
— ziyan (@ZiyanSears) August 12, 2021
Their concern is purely aesthetic. Not that people can't find housing.
— Eric Muirhead (@emuirhead) August 12, 2021