What in Hell is Gavin Newsom Doing?

If you haven't heard by now, the biggest blue state Governor has been playing footsie with right wing provocateurs on his new podcast. The Democratic base is perplexed, but what is he really up to?

California Governor Gavin Newsom has entered the podcast arena…again. It’s not the first time the charismatic Governor has launched a podcast; in fact, this is his second time this year. His first effort, which featured conversations with NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and big-time sports agent Doug Hendrickson, garnered little attention (or listenership). The vibe was Joe Rogan meets Jim Rome—if Joe Rogan and Jim Rome met over a vegan wrap in a cafe while waiting for their electric car to charge.

Perhaps learning from the lukewarm reception, Newsom has now pivoted toward the massive audience drawn to right-wing provocateurs like Charlie Kirk, Michael Savage, and even Steve Bannon. There’s no question this podcast is fundamentally different from his first, and it has struck a nerve within the Democratic base.

It’s one thing for Newsom to appear on Fox News for a policy discussion with Sean Hannity (which he did) or debate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis about national issues in the middle of the Republican primary (which he also did). But this? This appears to be a step too far for many Democrats.

In both of those prior instances, Newsom bolstered his credentials as a fighter for what he calls “California values.” But the first conversations on his new podcast seem less like a defense of those values and more like capitulation just as Democrats are desperately searching for a champion.

The podcast’s launch episode featured Newsom agreeing with Charlie Kirk, a prominent right-wing influencer whom the American Left has labeled a misogynist, antisemite, and racist. Their discussion included a moment where Newsom concurred that allowing transgender athletes to compete in athletic contests outside of their birth gender was unfair. The blowback has been swift and severe among Democrats.

The consensus among Democratic pundits, journalists, activists, and other elected officials is that this was a disaster. Even if, politically, it made sense for a Democrat to attempt a recalibration after the party suffered losses due to cultural excess, this was not the way to do it.

The second episode continued with Michael Savage, whose appearance was described this way by veteran Los Angeles Times columnist Mark Z. Barabak in his column titled "With his new podcast, Gavin Newsom may just talk himself to political death"

Barabak wrote:

“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, and suggested Trump was actually a “very sensitive guy to other people.”

But the real crescendo – so far – came in episode three with the appearance of Steve Bannon. According to a tweet by CalMatters reporter Alexei Koseff:

All of this has, of course, caused a conflagration of concern among the Democratic base ranging from deep anger and betrayal to a questioning of themselves and their principles. How could the man who taught Democrats to win the culture wars be giving a platform to figures they see as the very embodiment of what they oppose? Simply giving them a voice is a betrayal!

The fallout has been particularly intense in Sacramento, where lobbyists, consultants, and journalists are scrambling to interpret what this signals politically.

Is this how he launches his Presidential effort?

What benefit does he think he’s getting by alienating his friends?

Does he seriously think he can win over the MAGA crowd?

Most importantly: What in holy hell is going on with Gavin Newsom?

A good friend in town, a prominent Sacramento insider, and someone very close to the Newsom administration texted me an intriguing question last night:

“I think this is Gavin Newsom saying what he’s always said - he’s not running for President.”

“So what is he doing?” I asked.

“He’s starting a media company. He’s serious about taking the fight to them and he’s building the infrastructure they’ve built as a way to counter them.”

If this is the right take, then there’s only one word to describe what Newsom is doing: Brilliant.

Newsom’s not capitulating. He’s not shifting to MAGA. He’s not normalizing or legitimizing their voices…they are legitimizing him.

Gavin Newsom is a generational political talent. The right-wingers wouldn’t be flocking to him if he weren’t. Who else has commanded an audience credibly with Sean Hannity, Ron DeSantis, Charlie Kirk, Michael Savage, and Steve Bannon? Go ahead and take a minute…I’ll wait.

Newsom is the first Democrat to recognize that MAGA now controls the media. It’s not just Fox News and Breitbart anymore. It’s X (Twitter) which has become dominated by conservative propaganda under Elon Musk. Even traditional journalistic institutions like The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post are shadows of their former selves. MSNBC and CNN are reacting to the news, not driving the narrative.

Gavin Newsom is an astute observer of the right-wing media ecosystem. He’s witnessed firsthand the overwhelming disinformation campaign against him after the wildfires in California. Despite his attempts to dispel outright fabrications, he had no way to counteract the right-wing media machine, it was a losing battle.

The media we once knew is dead. The Democrats have no real infrastructure to respond. Without engaging the public where they are, there’s no chance Democrats can recover, even with the most popular policy positions. As the great military mind Sun-Tzu wrote in The Art of War

“A shift in terrain dictates a shift in tactics”

The media terrain has shifted. Newsom is adapting. And if my source is right, he’s not running for President – he’s positioning himself for something even bigger.

And he may just be giving Democrats a fighting chance.