Gavin Newsom is using JD Vance’s self-proclaimed “baby catholic” persona to launch a political attack as the war in Iran enters its fifth week.
The California governor took aim Tuesday as the vice president promoted his upcoming memoir, Communion, which recounts his 2019 conversion to the faith. Newsom, 58, seized on the moment to pivot from book promotion to battlefield reality.
“What would Jesus say about bombing a school?” the lifelong catholic wrote on X.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Vance’s office for comment.
The jab was a direct reference to a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school complex in Minab, southern Iran, on the first day of the war on Feb 28.
The attack hit both a sports hall and a nearby elementary school, killing 175 people. The New York Times reports that at the time of the strike, children were gathered inside the sports hall for volleyball practice.
Questions on the responsible parties have become a political minefield as the president has repeatedly sought to distance the United States from the strike, telling reporters earlier this month that while the incident is “under investigation,” he believes Israel is to blame.
That explanation has drawn scrutiny, given that prior defense reporting—including assessments from Australia’s Department of Defense—indicates that Tomahawk cruise missiles are operated only by a small group of countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Vance, meanwhile, has remained largely silent on the school bombing itself, even as it has become a defining moment of the conflict.
The lack of accountability has only deepened the rift in the vice president’s already strained relationship with Catholic leaders.
Last year, Vance, 41, drew backlash after attacking Catholic bishops who opposed immigration enforcement actions that allowed raids at sensitive locations such as schools and churches. Vance urged bishops to “look in the mirror,” pointing to federal funding tied to migrant resettlement and questioning whether their objections were rooted in “humanitarian concerns” or financial incentives.
Although Vance later reportedly apologized, the episode deepened tensions with parts of the Catholic community—tensions that have resurfaced repeatedly.
A leading Catholic publication rebuked him earlier this year in back-to-back editorials, first branding him a “moral stain” in January following the killing of 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, 43, in Minneapolis.
The same outlet issued another rebuke after the killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a federal agent—an incident the Trump administration labeled a “domestic terrorist” threat within hours—accusing Vance of choosing “division and blame” over moral clarity.
Now, the war in Iran is placing those tensions under even greater scrutiny.
According to Politico, senior White House officials described Vance as initially “skeptical” of military action against Iran and someone who “just opposes” such interventions. But once the conflict began, those same officials said, he aligned himself with the administration’s position.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
