Gavin Newsom's 'Sister Souljah' moment?
PLUS: The Democrats who censured Al Green 👎
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1. Newsom makes his move
Remember when I told you a few weeks back that the news that California Gov. Gavin Newsom was starting a podcast was a first step toward him running for president in 2028?
Well, he just took another step. A big one.
In the debut episode of said podcast, Newsom had Charlie Kirk on as his guest. Kirk made his name by founding the group Turning Point USA; the organization turned into a major player in Trump’s courtship of young voters over the last decade.
(Sidebar: The whole schtick of Newsom’s podcast is that he invites on people with whom he disagrees.)
The following exchange occurred — in the context of a conversation about transgender athletes:
Kirk: “Would you say no men in female sports?”
Newsom: “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. I totally agree with you.”
Which is a BIG break with Democratic party orthodoxy on the issue of biological boys who have or are transitioning playing with biological girls in sports.
How big a break? Well on Monday, every Democrat voted to block a vote on legislation that would bar transgender athletes from participating in womens’ and girls’ sports at institutions that take federal dollars. Every. Single. One.
Just to drive that break home, Newsom also offered a critique of how then Vice President Kamala Harris had handled the conversation around trans issues during the 2024 campaign — especially the Donald Trump ad that suggested Harris was for “they/them.”
Here’s how Politico explained Newsom’s response:
“She didn’t even react to it, which was even more devastating,” Newsom said, suggesting upward of 90 percent of Americans disagreed with Harris’ position. “Then you had the video [of Harris] as a validator. Brutal,” Newsom added. “It was a great ad.”
I always say that there is no such thing as coincidences in politics. And certainly not at the high level that Newsom is playing at. Which means he absolutely, 100% did this on purpose.
So, why? I mean, obviously, because Newsom wants to run for the Democratic presidential nomination. Which has been true forever for a while now.
Which is not particularly revelatory! You can read that anywhere! But why Newsom sees breaking with his party on THIS issue in particular as a way to further his broader political goals is much more interesting. And worth a deeper dive.
