California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the point of his new podcast is not to “go viral” or “own the conservatives” by winning any debates. Instead, the Democratic politician said his new podcast is about “exploring” what Republicans think — and why their message resonated with more voters during the 2024 election.
“It’s just exploring the other side. Why are they kicking our ass?” Newsom said in an interview with Semafor out Sunday. “Why are these guys so successful? They are. I mean, I’m sorry, Democrats, they are.”
Newsom launched his podcast, aptly dubbed “This Is Gavin Newsom,” earlier this month. So far, he has had several conservative guests on, including Steve Bannon and commentator Charlie Kirk. The host told the outlet his goal is merely to talk to the other side of the political aisle with his new show.
“I’m not trying to own the conservatives like these guys try to own the libs. I’m not trying to go in and kick their ass and get a viral moment,” Newsom said. “I’m not trying to be that guy.”
Still, the governor did go somewhat viral when he had Kirk on his show; Newsom said he “totally” agreed with Kirk that transwomen should not play in women’s sports — breaking with Democrats on the hot-button issue.
“I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair,” Newsom told Kirk. “I am not wrestling with the fairness issue.”
He further said, at the same time, it is possible to not “talk down to vulnerable communities” and also treat people with “decency.”
Newsom’s willingness to talk to conservatives has led to some criticism from his Democratic base, he noted, for failing “some ideological purity test.” Still, he told Semafor that having these conversations is important because progressives can typically come across “so f–king judgmental.”
His podcast has had some success to this point. It is ranked 50th overall on Spotify’s podcast chart in the U.S. as of Monday, although its 57,500 YouTube subscribers does not scream “smash success.”
