When I heard that Sean Hannity was interviewing Gavin Newsom, I was immediately perplexed. Since when do prominent Democrats go on Fox News? Much less to speak to a settled partisan who hosts a right-wing opinion show (not that there’s anything wrong with that)?

(Also see: Gov. Gavin Newsom Proposes Radical ’28th Amendment’ to Strip Americans’ Gun Rights)

There’s always an angle, and Newsom obviously has one. What that angle is will become clearer once the full interview is released on Monday evening. Some preliminary clips are already making news, though.

For example, Newsom took the time to praise his relationship with Donald Trump.

“We had an incredible relationship.” California Governor Gavin Newsom says good things about Donald Trump. (Video: Fox News) pic.twitter.com/wjjAI493LS

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) June 10, 2023

As they say, “That’s bait.” Though Trump has had some nice things to say about Newsom recently, I don’t believe anyone actually thinks the two really like each other. Heck, Newsom has called Trump a danger to the very foundation of the nation. I have to believe he is playing the left-wing version of four-dimensional chess here. After all, what better way to slander Trump than to connect him to a demented, far-left authoritarian like Newsom?

Still, whatever is actually going on between the two, I’d feel a heck of a lot better if Trump denounced Newsom’s advances. What happened in California during COVID-19 was horrific. Families were torn apart and lives were destroyed. That can’t be forgotten in the face of a few generic niceties. My chief concern involving a possible Trump 2024 nomination has always revolved around the tyranny of the government’s COVID-19 response. Did he learn his lesson? If so, some contrition would illustrate that, and telling Newsom to jump in a lake would be a great start.

That wasn’t the clip that I found most revealing, though. Rather, it was one involving Joe Biden. When pushed by Hannity on a possible 2024 run, Newsom dodged the question.

Watch: Hannity pushes @GavinNewsom on whether he’ll run against Biden: “How many times does your phone ping a day with people saying you need to get in this race as they agree with me that he’s not up to the job?“

Newsom: ‘I see where you’re going with that and I’m not… pic.twitter.com/GuS3rGhx3D

— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) June 10, 2023

While Newsom defends Biden as you’d expect, wouldn’t it make more sense for him to simply say “I’m not running in 2024” instead of refusing to answer the question? Obviously, he’s keeping that door open, and why wouldn’t he? I’ve been saying for at least six months that if Newsom got into the race, he’d immediately start with 50 percent of the Democrat primary vote. I get zero joy in saying that, as I think the California governor is one of the most dangerous politicians in the country, but it’s just reality.

Biden is not well-loved by his own base. They all see what the rest of us see. They are just too afraid to push the issue because they fear it might help Republicans. Newsom represents an emergency hatch for Democrats. He’s the guy they all would prefer but Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are standing in the way, and they just can’t quite figure out how to crack that code.

So back to the original question: What is Newsom’s angle?

I think he’s setting himself up to jump into the 2024 race the moment Biden falters. Part of that is making news and keeping his name in the headlines, and what better way for a Democrat to make news than to do an interview on Fox News? We should all hope he stays in California, though. It disgusts me to have to admit, but he’d be a formidable presidential opponent, and I’d rather not take that chance.