With friends like Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk, Newsom may talk himself to political death
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- The governor’s new podcast features him making nice with right-wing provocateurs.
- It’s hard to see how the diversion from his actual job will boost Newsom’s presidential prospects.
Gavin Newsom — eyes on the White House, vision firmly fixed on his future — is leaning once more into the self-promotion business.
One might imagine his hands are quite full these days being California governor, what with the state reeling from one of the costliest, most destructive natural disasters in U.S. history. Two months after the hellfires began in Southern California, each day brings fresh pain.
But it’s a free country and Newsom is well past the age of consent, so clearly there’s no stopping him.
Pity, that.
The Democrat’s latest aggrandizing me-hicle, er, vehicle, is just about the last thing the world needs right now: another politically themed podcast. The Warholian notion that someday everyone would be world-famous for 15 minutes obviously failed to reckon with the advent of Substack, TikTok, podcasts and the like. Some personalities make that 15 minutes seem like an eternity.
Regardless, “This is Gavin Newsom” is now a thing, which should not to be mistaken for another of his extracurricular activities, “Politickin.’ ” That gig features Newsom, former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and sports agent Doug Hendrickson in yet another podcast feedin’ the hunger of those with a bottomless appetite for the state’s voluble chief executive.
Announcin’ his latest moonlighting endeavor, Newsom told reporters, “I want to engage people that often I engage with in private and make public those conversations.”
That generosity and willingness to share has yet to extend to Newsom’s breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, his step count or daily hygiene, as the governor’s kindness seems to know at least some bounds.
But just wait. A memoir, Newsom’s third book, is in the works.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the launch of second podcast, promising sit-downs with ‘some of the biggest leaders and architects in the MAGA movement.’
His new podcast debuted last week, featuring the MAGA megaphone and provocateur Charlie Kirk, and it immediately drew the nationwide attention Newsom desperately craves, and then some. His statement that transgender girls and women participating in female sports leagues is “deeply unfair” produced screaming headlines — this from a longtime champion of LGBTQ+ rights, no less — and acres of analyses from the political commentariat and those inhabiting social media.
The collision of sports and gender is sure to be litigated at length as Democrats wander the wilderness in the months and years leading up to the 2028 presidential campaign. Newsom has laid down his marker.
What was less noted after that first episode was the fawning and flattery — “Your success!” “Your influence!” — Newsom bestowed upon Kirk during an hour-plus, velvet-gloved belly rub.
Kirk has a history of making false and outlandish statements, echoing President Trump’s lies about the 2020 election being stolen, promoting antisemitic tropes and stoking racial discord, among other ingredients of his political celebrityhood.
You’d hardly know it, however, listening to his chummy chat with the starry-eyed Newsom. It is quite commendable to hold a civil conversation with those who have different political viewpoints. As a deeply polarized culture and society, we could use a lot more of that dialogue.
But congeniality is one thing. It’s another to sound as though you’ve been co-opted, yukking it up and nodding along to Kirk’s worshipful treatment of Trump, his anti-public health views and expressions of right-wing victimhood. In the words of one national Democratic strategist, who did not want to be identified criticizing the governor, “It seemed like the two were brothers in arms.”
Or at least awfully good buds.
The second installment of Newsom’s vanity project, released this week, featured an amiable chat with Michael Savage, the Marin County-based broadcaster, conservative agitator and author who has a history replete with anti-gay, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim remarks.
You’d have to listen closely, however, to discern any major differences as Newsom chortled his way through a discussion of taxes, immigration, Savage’s climate-change denialism, his celebration of Tucker Carlson and the discrimination that Savage said he’s suffered as a white male.
“I agree,” Newsom said when Savage related a trip on Air Force One during which he was served a hot dog, suggesting Trump was actually a “very sensitive guy to other people.”
Never mind the insults the puerile president constantly dishes out, the demeaning nicknames he assigns — like “Newscum” — or the president’s heartless approach to governing. At least, Savage noted, it was a kosher dog.
Conversations with an assortment of residents show most have no clue who’s running in 2026. But they want someone fully committed to the job and not treating the governorship as a stepping stone to the White House.
Newsom was somewhat less supine in the show’s third edition — one wonders how much time he’s devoting to his day job — featuring the MAGA mastermind Steve Bannon. The governor pushed back, for instance, when Bannon referred to Elizabeth Warren with the Trumpian put-down “Pocahontas.”
“Sen. Warren,” Newsom corrected.
But Bannon’s repeated false claims of a rigged 2020 election went unchallenged, the host apparently believing that a friendly vibe is more important than things such as truth and integrity.
“This Is Gavin Newsom” is full-on cringe. With its forced bonhomie, the show is neither informative nor engaging. It delivers all the pleasures of a bad office party.
Cuddling up to the Charlie Kirks and Steve Bannons of the world and truckling to the Michael Savages — “you’re the most entertaining person and personality ... and storyteller on the radio!” Newsom gushed — is also a strange way to try to build national support among fellow Democrats.
If Newsom really hopes to be president someday, the best thing he could do is a bang-up job in his final 22 months as governor. Not waste time on glib and self-flattering diversions. People have told Newsom as much. But the only voice he seems to care about his own.
Podcast, ad nauseam.
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Ideas expressed in the piece
- The podcast is seen as a self-promotional distraction from Newsom’s responsibilities as governor, particularly amid California’s ongoing recovery from catastrophic wildfires and budget challenges[9][5]. Critics argue it prioritizes national ambition over urgent state issues.
- Newsom’s deferential tone toward far-right guests like Charlie Kirk and Michael Savage—including agreeing with Kirk’s stance on banning transgender athletes from women’s sports—has alienated progressive allies and LGBTQ+ advocates, undermining his reputation as a champion of LGBTQ+ rights[1][7][9]. State Sen. Scott Wiener called Kirk a “vile bigot,” reflecting Democratic frustration[8].
- The format has been criticized as politically counterproductive, with Newsom appearing unprepared and overly eager to validate conservative talking points. For example, he failed to challenge Kirk’s inflated statistic about transgender athletes or Savage’s claims about Democrats “brainwashing” children on gender issues[1][7][9].
Different views on the topic
- Some Democrats view the podcast as a strategic effort to recalibrate the party’s messaging on polarizing issues like transgender rights and policing, which contributed to Kamala Harris’s 2024 loss[2][8]. Newsom’s stance on trans athletes aligns with 80% of Americans and 67% of Democrats, per a New York Times poll cited in the podcast[8].
- Supporters argue the podcast could help Democrats reconnect with disaffected voters by demonstrating a willingness to engage opposing viewpoints. A CA120 poll found 60% of California Democrats who listen to podcasts are open to tuning in, valuing “open and candid dialog”[3].
- Advisers suggest the format allows Newsom to showcase policy depth and combat perceptions of Democrats as overly scripted. By hosting MAGA figures, he aims to disrupt conservative media dominance and position himself as a pragmatic, post-2024 Democratic leader[2][4][6].
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