Sacramento, California - Governor Gavin Newsom mocked Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over reports that he spent millions in taxpayer money on lavish expenditures.

On Tuesday, the press office for the California governor shared an X post featuring an AI-generated photo of Hegseth reclining in chair, surrounded by an assortment of fancy items and food, including fruit baskets, steak, and lobster.

"HEGSETH BLOWING $93 BILLION OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS IN 1 MONTH !!" a caption included in the post said.

The post comes after the government watchdog group Open the Books published an analysis that found the Department of Defense spent more than $93 billion in September 2025 alone on grants, contracts, and a range of luxury goods.

Under Hegseth, the Pentagon allegedly spent $6.9 million on lobster tail, $15.1 million on ribeye steak, $2 million on Alaskan king crab, $1 million on salmon, $124,000 on ice cream machines, $12,000 on fruit baskets, $5.3 million on tech devices, and $98,329 on a Steinway & Sons grand piano, all of which were featured in Newsom's image.

Open the Books said the expenditure was the highest spent by any single government agency since 2008.

The report also found that the Pentagon spent $140,000 on doughnuts, $21,750 on a custom handmade Japanese flute, and over $3,160 worth of stickers featuring children's characters like Dora the Explorer.