It is no secret that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is gearing up for a 2028 presidential run. But if his recent media appearances are any indication, it’s not going very well.
There was the ill-fated interview with Charlie Kirk when he admitted – much to the dismay of leftists – that there is a “fairness” issue as it relates to men being allowed to compete in women’s sports. Then, there was the awkward exchange with Bill Maher during which he couldn’t defend his own radical trans policies in the Golden State. And now Newsom has found his way to The Shawn Ryan Show where he failed to definitely say whether 8 years old is too young to “transition.”
On Wednesday’s show, Megyn was joined by National Review’s Rich Lowry to discuss Newsom’s latest face plant on the topic and why it does not bode well for his presidential ambitions.
Newsom Stumbles
For reasons that remain unclear, Newsom agreed to sit for one of Ryan’s intensive interviews, which ran for over four hours and was released on Monday. When the retired Navy SEAL brought up the topic of radical gender ideology, the governor admitted it is a “major problem” for Democrats “politically.” But it was when Ryan tried to nail down Newsom’s personal feelings on the topic that the conversation unraveled.
“What about for your values? I mean, is 8 years old too young,” Ryan asked in relation to so-called “gender affirming care” for minors.
“Yeah, I mean, look — now that I have a 9-year-old, just became 9 — come on, man, I get it. So those are legit,” he stammered. “You know, it’s interesting, just the issue of age… As someone that’s been so focused on, on equality broadly — LGBT rights, particularly gay marriage — the trans issue, for me, is also novel. It’s over the last few years. I’m trying to understand as much as anyone else. The whole pronoun thing. I’m trying to understand all of that. That was like — all that stuff, I get it. All this stuff started to collapse on us.”
After pivoting to an anecdote about the term “Latinx” at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, Newsom circled back to Ryan’s question. “This notion of gender-affirming care for children, that’s tough man,” he said. “And the science on that– I haven’t dove that deep into it, but, you know, I read one report; and then there’s one that’s slightly contradictory; and then they said, ‘There’s no contradictory. Here’s what the U.K. just came out with. You’re full of sh-t. It’s absolutely scientifically sound that it’s outrageous.’”
“So it’s intense,” Newsom added, before attempting to blame the right for his feelings on the matter. “A lot of the pushback came from folks, candidly, that I didn’t respect, that never respected the gay community, period. They were people who were opposed to just basic rights… so I think that my next inclination was to dismiss, and now I recognize more fully and deeply. And I think the sports issue really opened that door for me.”
The Body Language
If you watched the interview, you were also treated to Newsom’s awkward grins and wild gesticulations that Megyn said were a sure-fire sign of discomfort. “He absolutely dissembled over the question… He gets so nervous he can’t stop moving his hands,” she noted. “It’s a tell [for] ‘I’m uncomfortable and I’m probably lying too. Hands above the midline moving can be a sign of deception.”
Lowry said the governor failed to seize the opportunity to take a stand. “It was a good answer in the sense that it kind of seemed as though he was acknowledging it was a problem, but it led nowhere,” he said. “He was clearly afraid to say it.”
Looking Ahead to 2028
Perhaps that is because Newsom is trying to play both sides. “I think some people have the impression Gavin Newsom is some formidable politician… He looks the part. I’ll grant him that… But as soon as he starts speaking, things change because he starts lying and he starts obfuscating,” Megyn explained. “He has a tendency to say whatever the person across from him wants to hear, and then just completely 180 on it in front of a different audience at a different point.”
And she believes that will hurt Newsom and other Democrats who are similarly “mealy-mouthed” in 2028. “Picture J.D. Vance in a presidential debate being asked that question… He would be so reasonable… [and] measured, and you’re going to have that flailer with the hands and the stuttering and the ‘Come on. Man,'” Megyn said. “It didn’t work for [Joe] Biden, and it’s not going to work for Newsom.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Lowry by tuning in to episode 1,109 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.