When my governor started a podcast, I was aghast. In fact, social media went wild with frustrations regarding his lack of self-awareness and overflow of narcissism and self-promotion. As it turns out, Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is still bad for girls, women, California, and the country. Take it from me, a 12-year resident of the state he’s governed for six years.
It was infuriating when Newsom had on prominent conservative Charlie Kirk as a guest two months ago, and the two chummed it up like they were the best of pals. The Left was mad at Newsom for giving a major conservative a platform. Some on the Right, including myself, were annoyed at Kirk (whom I have known since 2013 when he had barely started Turning Point USA) for walking into the governor’s studio and helping him create sound bites he can use for his 2028 presidential run.
Newsom’s goal to be the commander of the free world is obvious in his new media quest to appeal to the other side. In that interview with Kirk, Newsom distanced himself from transgender people in women’s sports. The governor said he agreed with Kirk (and the majority of people in the country, by the way) and said it was “deeply unfair” to allow the opposite sex to compete against women and girls.
Newsom has highlighted right-wing guests such as former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and said that he would love to host former Senior Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway. He has hosted disenchanted leftists willing to shake up the Democratic Party, such as Ezra Klein. Newsom even called the Democratic Party “toxic” in recent days, and yet he hasn’t changed his policies at all.
Now, I’m not against conversation and bipartisanship; I’m a fan of them, especially when we can do good things together, such as propelling legislation to protect our nation’s women and children. The Take It Down Act and Kids Online Safety Act are examples of great efforts of bipartisanship.
But, I’m not a fan of Gavin’s grift, which is winning at politics, no matter the cost. Newsom will say deregulation is important and temporarily remove highly infringing and unnecessary environmental laws to help fire victims, but he won’t do anything statewide to shift the restrictions affecting everyone else in the under-housed state.
He will govern one way in the state and then say another thing to Kirk, Bannon, or Sean Hannity. It’s like he forgets we have the receipts of his governance and past statements. His true colors shine through, though, when he is faced with actually making changes in California.
In February, President Donald Trump was joined at the White House by many women and girls as he signed an executive order to protect female sports. Yet this month, a transgender teenager competing in the girls’ division of a high school competition for track and field dominated female competitors, qualifying for the state finals this weekend. This caused the president to threaten to pull federal funding from California for defying his executive order.
In 2013, former Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed AB 1266, stating that school sports in California should allow athletes to compete as their preferred gender. Newsom has done nothing to undo this. When Trump tried calling Newsom to discuss the matter, our governor didn’t take the call. He claims he was at an event and couldn’t connect. I wonder how much money he raised at said event.
After the Justice Department announced it would investigate the legality of AB 1266, the body that regulates high school sports in California made rule changes, which it hopes will dissuade further investigation. The California Interscholastic Federation changed its language seemingly to state that anyone beaten by a transgender athlete who would have otherwise qualified if playing against the same sex is still able to compete at the state finals.
GAVIN NEWSOM IS ROBBING MEDICARE AND HURTING CALIFORNIANS
Newsom is silent. His spokesperson issued a statement saying, “CIF’s proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness — a model worth pursuing. The governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach.”
The governor continues to orchestrate and implement far-left policies that inhibit positive change for California’s citizens while pretending to be a moderate gateway for peaceful bipartisanship and democracy. Don’t fall for it.
Elisha Krauss is a conservative commentator and speaker who resides in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and their four children. She advocates women’s rights, school choice, and smaller government.