Lt. Gov. Newsom Wishes 'Cowardly Lion' Speaker Ryan Happy Birthday

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS13) – California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was a busy man over the weekend, but he managed to make the time to wish one man a happy birthday.

Newsom, who joined in on the protests at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, sent Speaker of the House Paul Ryan a happy birthday message – but attached a picture of the Cowardly Lion from the film "The Wizard of Oz."

Protests broke out at airports across the country after Pres. Trump issued an executive order banning refugees from several predominantly Muslim countries – a move many have amounted to a "Muslim ban."

Newsom spoke at the protest at SFO, saying "If they come for one of us, they come for all of us."

His message to Speaker Ryan came after the man third in line to the presidency appeared to have flip-flopped and defended Trump's executive order.

As other outlets have reported, Speaker Ryan was much more vocally opposed to a "Muslim ban" back during the height of the campaign last year. In August, Ryan tweeted "A religious test for entering out country is not reflective of America's fundamental values. I reject it."

Friday, when the Trump issued the executive order, Ryan released the following statement:

"Our number one responsibility is to protect the homeland. We are a compassionate nation, and I support the refugee resettlement program, but it's time to reevaluate and strengthen the visa vetting process. This is why we passed bipartisan legislation in the wake of the Paris attacks to pause the intake of refugees. President Trump is right to make sure we are doing everything possible to know exactly who is entering our country."

Pres. Trump continued to defend his order on Monday, tweeting "If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the 'bad' would rush into our country during that week. A lot of bad 'dudes' out there!"

Newsom will be a Democratic candidate for California governor in 2018.

In:
• Gavin Newsom
• Immigration
• Donald Trump