California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that the democratic brand is “toxic” and that his party has had to admit its own mistakes and that Democrats have had to work hard and bring about tough love in the fight against the Trump administration.
Once considered a liberal combatant, Newsom has set out to search for political spirits for months after President Trump won the White House and Republicans acquired homes in both Congresses. On Friday, he used his strongest language to criticize his party while appearing on “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
“Democratic brands are toxic now,” he said, pointing to the recent NBC News vote, which showed a 27% positive rating at least of the lowest in a generation.
Newsom, the 2028 presidential candidate, denounced his fellow Democrats for his party's misfortune. He criticized Democrats for being judged, staying in the echo chamber, relying on them to “cancel culture” and “cancel culture” to expel those who appear to be abominable.
“We talk to people,” he said. “We talk about people from the past.”
The governor has discovered a sympathetic man for decades who have questioned democratic orthodoxy despite his liberal tendencies.
This month, Newsom announced his new podcast, “This Is Gavin Newsom.” He interviewed guests from across the political spectrum to discuss what was wrong for Democrats in the 2024 election. Early episodes featured a conversation between Charlie Kirk, who leads youth organization Turning Point USA, and Steve Bannon, the architect of President Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement.
In particular, these guests elicited fierce criticism from Newsom's liberal allies who justified the right-wing views and accused the governor of failing to correct the inaccuracies they expressed.
“Is this the idea that we can't even talk to the other side?” Newsom said incredibly on Friday.
“You have to do it. They won,” replied Maher.
Democrats have split the best way to stand up to the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress. This month, especially when Sen. Chuck Schumer, a minority leader of New York, won the vote to avoid government shutdown. Schumer defended the decision as responsible director if he was unpopular. But many Democrats saw it as a sign that their party was weak.
Internally, Democrats are still trying to figure out what went wrong last year and how they can seize Congress in 2026.
Last year, Newsom held a conversation last week about Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz, a Democratic vice presidential candidate, last week about “where our party is where hell is now.”
“This is an existential moment, and our unity in Trump has not raised our trust, not helping democratic brands,” Newsom told Waltz.
Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat of Pennsylvania, also criticized his party on Friday, saying in an interview with politics the party would become a “permanent minority” if the party didn't put together the act.
On Friday, Newsom told Maher:
Newsom's comments reminded him that former governor Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007 told his own California Republican members he was “around dying at the box office.” Almost 20 years ago, Schwarzenegger urged conservative bases to move towards the center to gain relevance in California when Democrats controlled Congress and almost every statewide office.
California Republicans have mostly ignored advice, lost more seats, and have not beaten a statewide office since. Party activists were comforted by the national success of Republicans.
Newsom surprised Democrats this month when he said on a podcast that it was “deeply unfair” for trans athletes to play in women's sports. He repeated his stance Friday night with Mr. Maher's approval.
But the host urged Newsom about a California law that prohibits teachers from requiring districts to tell their parents when they ask them to change gender identity at schools. The Trump administration on Thursday alleged that California law violates federal law, and Maher took the position that parents should be notified when children seek changes in identity.
Newsom defended the law as a sound policy, saying that California simply wanted to protect teachers who didn't report or sniff to children talking about their gender identity.
“What is the job of a teacher? It's about teaching,” Newsom said. “I think it was fair.”
Maher has repeatedly expressed his desire to see Newsom run for the president. On Friday, he asked a question to his guests. “Are you going to do that?
Newsom left plenty of room to pilot after the governor approached the end in early 2027, after his final term.
“I respect the questions deeply,” he said. “But we respect that, so there's no grand plan.”
