California Governor Gavin Newsom, widely considered a potential contender for the 2028 presidential race, is facing backlash from liberals and progressives following his one-on-one interview with MAGA youth leader Charlie Kirk.
During the interview, Newsom revealed that his son is a great admirer of Kirk. “My son really wanted to meet you,” Newsom said.
Kirk responded, “You let him take off school?”
“No. Of course not. He's not here for a good reason,” Newsom replied. Kirk then remarked, “Well, you cancelled school for like two years, what’s one day going to do?”
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{{/usCountry}}The California Governor also told Kirk that with young people, he is “making a damn dent” in the culture wars.
Newsom's thoughts on trans athletes in female sports
The two then went on to discuss transgender athletes in women’s sports. This came as Newsom diverged from the general Democratic consensus, aligning more closely with Kirk’s view.
“We’re gonna stand back and watch you run circles around us for six months, the next two or three years, waiting for the moment to finally strike?” Newsom stated, and added, “Struck me as not necessarily the best advice.”
When Kirk pushed further and asked, “Would you say no men in female sports?” the Governor responded, “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. I am not wrestling with the fairness issue.”
“At the same time,” he said, it is possible to not “talk down to vulnerable communities” and to approach these discussions with “decency.”
His remarks came shortly after 45 Democratic Senators voted against a proposed bill that sought to ban transgender women from competing in female sports—an issue that Donald Trump also touched on during his recent speech before Congress.
Newsom also torched Democratic strategist James Carville, who argued that liberals should adopt a “strategic political retreat” to allow Trump to make mistakes that could hurt his standing with the public.
“And then I’m thinking about we’re going to stand back and watch you run circles around us for six months, the next two or three years, waiting for the moment to finally strike?” Newsom rejected that idea. “It struck me as not necessarily the best advice.”