Despite the myriad problems in his state, most of which were brought about and made worse thanks to decades of Democrat "leadership," California Gov. Gavin Newsom has made a bad habit out of sticking his nose in other states' business - particularly red states.
He did it with a number of them during the course of Joe Biden's presidency as he sought to set himself up as the "backup plan" in the event Biden dropped out of the race, with perhaps the most infamous being his attacks on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
That, of course, did not go well for Newsom, with DeSantis destroying them during their November 2023 debate so badly that Newsom's wife and "first partner," Jennifer Seibel Newsom, wouldn't allow him to stay beyond the allotted time set for the debate when asked.
READ MORE: Delicious Post-Debate Crying From Newsom HQ as Report Hints at Moment His Team Knew He Was Done
And now, amid his push to get the Golden State's voters to approve Prop. 50, which would "temporarily" (ahem) suspend their independent redistricting commission in response to Texas redrawing their Congressional maps, Newsom is now sniffing around in North Carolina.
He's pounced and seized on a thinly sourced "report" that alleges the state's longtime Republican Senate leader, Phil Berger, has promised President Trump that he would redraw the state's maps in exchange for a 2026 reelection campaign endorsement:
Donald Trump is swapping endorsements in exchange for rigging elections.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 25, 2025
And it’s barely making the news. pic.twitter.com/JWCX1k01KW
CBS 17 is one of the many media outlets here in NC that have become notorious for trying to do the heavy lifting for Democrats in this state. This story was no exception, with their "sources" being unnamed ones that lent zero credibility to the rumor:
Top Republican North Carolina state Senator Phil Berger is expected to accept an endorsement from President Donald Trump in his 2026 primary challenge in exchange for redrawing congressional maps, several sources told CBS 17 on Thursday.
"Several" sources? My money is on it being a single source - a left-wing organization called Carolina Forward that bills itself as "non-partisan" and "independent" but which is anything but. They tweeted about their "source" well before the CBS 17 story was published:
A source at the General Assembly says @SenatorBerger has asked Donald Trump for his endorsement in his primary against challenger @SheriffPage - and offered to redraw NC's first Congressional district to rig it against @RepDonDavis in exchange.
— Carolina Forward (@ForwardCarolina) September 24, 2025
Just a rumor, but... 👀
SEE ALSO: The Politically Incestuous Relationship Between North Carolina Dems and the Local Media Continues
Not one with which to be trifled, Berger has responded accordingly by denying the quid pro quo claims but also noting that if it helped Republicans overcome Newsom's shenanigans, then he would redraw maps because he has a lot of experience doing so, thanks to Democrats and their "sue til blue" strategy
If we have to draw one more map this year, we will. That said, I’ve never spoken to President Trump about this or an endorsement. The Democrats are spreading lies to hurt President Trump.
I’ve been watching what’s going on in California with Gavin Newsom trying to steal the Republican majority in Congress. We have drawn four Congressional maps in the last six years in redistricting fights with Democrats because of their sue-until-blue strategy. If we have to draw… https://t.co/rrw6egaO0O
— Senator Phil Berger (@SenatorBerger) September 25, 2025
All of that said, it's hard to say just who this fake news is a bigger indictment of. The NC media...
As a bit of a raconteur of sorts, I’m glad to see #ncpol “journalists” debasing themselves & setting the precedent early this cycle that only unsourced tweets & big allegations w/zero proof offered are credible enough to merit stories on platforms other than TMZ.
— Jonathan Felts (@JonathanFelts) September 25, 2025
...or Gavin Newsom, who himself refuses to address allegations of quid pro quo among Democrat "leaders" in California related to his Prop 50 campaign:
A visibly irritated Gavin Newsom begins to stammer and sway from side to side when he can’t answer a simple question about Speaker Robert Rivas and Majority leader Mike McGuire drawing themselves congressional seats amongst Newsom‘s redistricting scheme pic.twitter.com/OwXX0DwGqm
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) August 22, 2025
I report, you decide.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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