Fact Check: Gavin Newsom Press Office Account On X Was NOT Suspended -- Hoaxer Used A Facsimile Of Real Account

Fake Account

Did X.com suspend user privileges of the "Press" account for California Governor Gavin Newsom? No, that's not true: The photo offered as proof was a screenshot of @GovNewsomPress, a fake account. The authentic press account for the governor of California, @GovPressOffice, was not suspended.

The claim was made in an August 15, 2025 X post (archived here) on the @americapapabear account under the title "JUST IN:" It continued:

Gavin Newsom's Press account has been suspended.

What rule do you think he broke?"

Here's what the post looked like at the time this fact check was written:

(Image source: Screenshot by Lead Stories of x.com/AmericaPapaBear post.)

Newsom's Press Office responded by noting the hoaxer used a screenshot of a fake account, @GovNewsomPress (archived here). That account was suspended on August 15, 2025, carrying the following message: "Account suspended X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules."

Meanwhile, the official account used by the governor's press team @GovPressOffice (archived here) was not suspended:

(Image source: Screenshot by Lead Stories of x.com/GovPressOffice post.)