"It’s a very bad look" — Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary warns Gavin Newsom over LA riot fallout and future presidential campaign

Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary uploaded a video on Instagram on June 11, 2025, sharing his views on the recent immigrant riots happening in LA. He also spoke about the ramifications it could have on California Governor Gavin Newsom's 2028 presidential campaign.

The clip, taken from his recent interview on FOX News, featured Kevin expressing concern over the riots. He focused primarily on the negative impact they had on small businesses, many of which were forced to shut down due to the unrest.

Additionally, the Shark Tank investor argued that the situation reflected poorly on Governor Newsom's potential presidential campaign. O'Leary criticized him for turning a blind eye to the escalating riots and unrest that was intensified by Trump's decision to deploy the military to manage the protests.

"I'm thinking about Gavin Newsom's problem right now, and it's a very bad look. I say to his campaign manager right now, you're making the B-roll for the guy you're gonna be competing with. This B-roll is nasty," he said in the interview.

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Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary comments on the ill effects of the riots on small businesses and Gavin Newsom

On June 6, 2025, different protests broke out in Los Angeles after people felt threatened by the federal immigration raids imposed by American President Trump, who aimed to deport illegal immigrants from the country.

According to Reuters, a few days later, Trump had a phone call with the Governor of California to find out the best way to take care of the rising riots. On June 8, Newsom described this conversation with the president as "very cordial," emphasizing that Trump never mentioned any federal response. However, a day later, Trump bypassed the California Governor and ordered thousands of National Guard troops to the state to forcefully stop the protestors.

Newsom wasn't a fan of the idea and spoke out against it, saying that it was a dangerous step toward authoritarianism. He warned that bringing in the military and targeting immigrants beyond violent offenders simply threatened democracy and legal norms.

With that mentality, Newsom urged peaceful protest. However, this move is reportedly tarnishing his reputation and future presidential campaign, as people are starting to point fingers at his work and him for allegedly not doing anything to stop the violence.

In the interview clip uploaded by Kevin O'Leary, the Shark Tank star joined the interviewer panel to discuss these riots. He shared that he was in LA at the moment and described the situation as a "mess," claiming that it was creating a bad situation for small businesses in the city.

"What people don't understand about this, these riots shut down small businesses. So you've got a, you know, let's say a grocery store or small hardware store or a dry cleaner, a restaurant, they're shut down. There's no foot traffic. Even if they didn't get their windows smashed, they're getting killed. Why is this a good thing? This is a bad thing," he said.

Kevin also believes these riots would affect Governor Newsom's image in the eyes of most people, who are starting to believe he is not doing anything to stop the violence.

The Shark Tank investor further warned Newsom's campaign manager. He noted that through the situation, they were indirectly creating a "nasty" b-roll for Newsom, which he believes would later bite them during his 2028 presidential campaign.

"This B roll, I'm watching the local news here, this is nasty, nasty B-roll. Here's the attack ad 24 months from now, 'Do you want this guy leading our party or running our country?' with images of firebombs going all over the place. It's bad, bad, bad imagery, really bad imagery," he concluded.

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Shark Tank season 16 episodes are available on Hulu and ABC.