Newsom Calls Democratic Brand 'Toxic' And 'Judgemental'

CALIFORNIA — On Friday’s episode of "Real Time With Bill Maher", Gov. Gavin Newsom took aim at his own party, calling the Democratic brand “toxic,” “judgmental,” and lacking maturity in its approach to cancel culture.

It’s the latest move by the progressive governor to jolt his base, following a podcast series that saw him cozying up to conservative figures and occasionally breaking ranks to agree with them on key issues.

"The Democratic brand is toxic right now," Newsom said as he referenced an NBC News poll that showed Democrats with a 27 percent favorability rating — a near all-time low.

Maher, a moderate-leaning Democrat, praised Newsom for his new podcast, This Is Gavin Newsom, during which the governor has had discussions with Republicans like Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, and Steve Bannon, the architect of Trump's first campaign and a driver of Trump's stolen election narrative in 2020.

The show appears to be Newsom's quest to diagnose the Democratic party's pitfalls after a disastrous 2024 election and to possibly tap a wider audience for a rumored presidential run in 2028.

"We need to own what's wrong with our party," Newsom told Maher on Friday.

The podcast has caught the public's attention, driving headlines and both praise and negative feedback from his supporters in recent weeks.

Maher praised Newsom for engaging with people across the political aisle and criticized those who dismiss such conversations as "platforming."

In a strong hint at Newsom's suspected presidential bed, Maher said: "And I feel like the next president's going to be — at least if it comes from this party, the Democratic Party — someone who wants to talk and heal. And I feel like you're doing that."

Newsom acknowledged the backlash his podcast has garnered from his party recently.

"This idea that we can't even have a conversation with the other side?" Newsom said to Maher.

"You have to, they won," Maher responded.

"Thank you. That's it, bottom line," Newsom said. "...the notion that we have to continue to talk to ourselves, we're in the same damn echo chamber."

Newsom also took aim at cancel culture, a public-shaming phenomenon that first gained popularity in the years leading up to the pandemic.

"Democrats, we tend to be a little more judgemental than we should be. This notion of cancel culture, you've been living it, you've been on the receiving end of it for years and years and years," he said to Maher. "And that's real. And Democrats need to own up to that. They've gotta be mature about this."

The show aired amid ongoing speculation that Newsom could make a bid for the 2028 presidential election.

"Are you going to do it or not? Just come on, tell us," Maher pressed on the show.

"I deeply respect the question, but I don’t have any grand plans as it respects that."

Congressman Ro Khanna (D-Silicon Valley), who has also hinted at a presidential run, disagreed with Newsom's comments on Maher's show.

"With respect, [Newsom], the Democratic party is not 'toxic,'" he wrote on X. "This is not the time to join the chorus in bashing our party. The rage should be about what Trump is doing TODAY. Let's share what our party has done [and] offer a forward vision for the future."

Newsom has said his choice of podcast guests reflects his interest in knowing more about where his party went wrong in the 2024 election when Trump swept every battleground state and Republicans locked up majorities in the House and Senate.

“I think we all agreed after the last election that it’s important for Democrats to explore new and unique ways of talking to people,” he said in a previous email to supporters.

Initially, Newsom's decision to depart from a heavy-partisan trend by inviting opposing viewpoints on his show received praise. But it's also continued to jar his base, particularly when Newom agreed with Kirk on the issue of transgender women competing in women's sports.

"I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that," he said to Kirk. "It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair. I’m not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you."

Still, Newsom continued to defend a law that prohibits schools from requiring personnel to notify parents if a child decides to identify differently than the gender they were assigned at birth, a rule that Maher himself disagrees with. The Trump administration also asserted earlier this month that the law violates federal law.

"That's the kind of thing, even if it doesn't affect a lot of people, that makes a lot of people go 'Well, you know what? That's the party without common sense."

"I disagree with that," Newsom said. "...What is the job of a teacher? It's to teach."