Gavin Newsom is trying to reinvent himself as a cuddly moderate just in time to run for president in 2028, but in the internet age, that's not always so simple. Essentially everything the California governor has ever said is archived online, which is making it more difficult for him to blatantly lie to the American people. 

Still, he's giving it the old college try. Newsom has recently started a podcast because his state is apparently in such great shape that he's no longer needed full-time (yeah, that was sarcasm), and the purpose is to give him a platform to pretend he's always been a sensible, middle-of-the-road politician.  

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For example, he recently claimed that he never used the made-up Spanish word "Latinx," which was supposed to be more "gender inclusive." He also said he believes that boys (who claim to be transgender) competing against girls in sports is "deeply unfair." Further, Newsom said he is against taxpayer-funded transition surgeries for prisoners and illegal immigrants. All of those assertions are complete falsehoods, and even CNN couldn't let him get away with it. 

NEW: On his 1st podcast, Gavin Newsom came out against the term Latinx, transgender women in sports, and taxpayer-funded transition surgeries for prisoners/undocumented immigrants.

But his record shows he supported all three repeatedly — often on video. https://t.co/qFiegVnZSZ

— Andy Kaczynski (@KFILE) March 21, 2025

Since launching his new podcast two weeks ago, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken aim at a number of causes popular among progressives: He’s rejected the term “Latinx,” said he doesn’t back trans women competing in women’s sports, and suggested he opposes taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for prisoners and detained immigrants.    

His more than 20-year political record in California tells a much different story.    

Newsom has repeatedly used the term “Latinx,” a gender-neutral term referring to people of Latin American descent. He’s also supported a number of policies over the years expanding transgender rights, including those for undocumented immigrants and even signing into law a bill acknowledging prisoners’ need for gender transition medical care.    

In a somewhat surprising move, CNN even covered the above report on the air. Typically, when something is inconvenient for a Democrat, they just bury it on their website. Not this time, though, and I think there's a reason for that, which I'll get to. 

CNN airs compilation of Gov. Newsom using the word LatinX after he claims nobody did

pic.twitter.com/Rjb1fXgZ5G

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 21, 2025

NEWSOM: By the way, not one person ever in my office has ever used the word Latinx. Like, what the hell.

KIRK: So can we finally put that to bed, that we agree? 

NEWSOM: Yeah, where did that even come from?

KIRK: No more Latinx, everybody.

NEWSOM:  Well, I just don't even know where it came from. What are they even talking about?

BURNETT: But there was a person who used Latinx. It was actually a really important person. It was him. Right? 

KACZYNSKI: Yeah, that's right, and look, these aren't minor shifts. These are positions that Gavin Newsom used to champion until fairly recently, and now, he's not just walking away from them. He's sort of acting like they were never legitimate, with that clip talking about Latinx, in the first place. But let's just, let's take Latinx. We did find somebody who used it repeatedly in his office. Let's take a listen to this.

(Clip plays of Newsom repeatedly using the term "Latinx")

You can feel the disgust in Erin Burnett's voice as she calls Newsom out on his lies but understand that she's not mad about it for the same reason you might be mad about it. Left-wingers, including hosts on CNN, have never had an issue with Democrat politicians telling falsehoods. On the contrary, they'll cover for them more often than not. In this case, though, Newsom is butting up against left-wing orthodoxy, and that changes the game a bit. 

That is a problem for the California governor because if his own base won't tolerate him mocking these positions, which he himself held until five minutes ago, then that leaves him very little room to moderate for 2028. That shouldn't be shocking, though. When have Democrats ever tolerated counter-viewpoints within the party? And when it comes to identity politics, from "Latinx" to transgenderism, there can be no dissent. The left was never going to sit idly by while Newsom shoved them in the corner for his political benefit. 

Of course, I'm not so sure Newsom was ever going to convince people he's a moderate no matter how much gel he throws in his hair or how many podcasts he records. His record of radicalism is so public and so engrained that his attempted transformation just comes across as laughable. 

With that said, Newsom is dangerous, and Republicans should take him seriously. That's why I've criticized these right-wing influencers who are going on his podcast, so thirsty for clicks that they would offer legitimacy (wittingly or unwittingly) to the California governor's flip-flops. The time to marginalize Newsom is now. It is not the time to play into his hands by letting him present himself as some "based" podcast host that appeals to both sides.