Governor Gavin Newsom of California said on Friday that the Democratic brand was “toxic” and that his party had to admit its own mistakes, offering a hard love while the Democrats fight in their fight against the Trump administration.
Mr. Newsom, formerly considered a liberal fighter, embarked on a political soul search in the months following President Trump and the Republicans won the two chambers of the Congress. Friday, he used his strongest language to date to criticize his own party during an appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher”.
“The Democratic brand is toxic right now,” he said, pointing to a new NBC new survey This has shown that Democrats with a favorability rating of 27%, the lowest of at least one generation.
Mr. Newsom, a possible presidential candidate in 2028, blamed his democratic colleagues for the misfortunes of his party. He criticized the Democrats for having taken care of, staying in an echo room and resorting to “cancel the culture” to ostracize the people they find in the odious points of view.
“We are talking to people,” he said. “We are talking beyond people.”
The governor found in Mr. Maher a sympathetic figure which for decades has questioned democratic orthodoxy despite his liberal tendencies.
Mr. Newsom launched this month a new podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom”, on which he interviewed guests of the whole political spectrum to discuss in part of what was wrong for the Democrats during the elections of 2024. The first episodes presented conversations with Charlie Kirk, who heads the organization of youth Turning Point USA, and Steve Bannon, an architect of the movement “Make America Great Again ”of President Trump.
These guests in particular have aroused ferocious criticism from the liberal allies of Mr. Newsom, who accused the governor of legitimizing right -wing opinions and of not correcting the inaccuracies expressed by his guests.
“This idea that we can’t even have a conversation with the other side?” Mr. Newsom declared in disbelief on Friday.
“You have to do it. They won,” replied Mr. Maher.
The Democrats divided the best way to confront the Trump administration and the Republicans in the Congress, especially this month, when Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority chief, said the votes to avoid a closure of the government. Mr. Schumer defended his decision As responsible choice, although unpopular. But many Democrats saw him as a sign that their party was weak.
Internally, Democrats are still trying to understand what was wrong last year and how they can resume Congress in 2026.
Mr. Newsom welcomed Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, the Democratic candidate vice-presidential last year, for a conversation published last week about “where the hell our left at the moment”, as Mr. Newsom said.
“It’s an existential moment, and our unity against Trump does not increase our confidence, it does not help the Democratic brand,” Newsom told Mr. Walz.
Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, also criticized his party on Friday, saying in an interview with politico that the party would be in a “permanent minority” if it did not come together.
Friday, Mr. Newsom told Mr. Maher: “We must have our mistakes. We must have what is wrong with our party.”
The comments of Mr. Newsom recalled the time that former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said to his own California Republican Party members in 2007 that they “died at the box office”. Almost two decades ago, Mr. Schwarzenegger urged his conservative base to head to the center to obtain relevance in California, at a time when Democrats controlled the legislative assembly and almost all the offices on a state scale.
The Republicans of California mostly ignored the advice, lost even more seats and have never won office throughout the state. The activists of the State Party comforted themselves in the national success of the Republicans, who changed to the right and carried out gains elsewhere.
Saturday, representative Ro Khanna, another Californian democrat who may arise for the presidency In 2028, said a refutation to Mr. Newsom and said that the Democratic Party was “not” toxic “.”
“Now is not the time to join the refrain to denigrate our party,” said Khanna said on x. “Rage should concern what Trump does today. Let us share what our party has done and offer an advanced vision for the future. ”
Mr. Newsom surprised the Democrats this month when he said about his podcast that he was “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to play in female sports. He reiterated this position on Friday evening, at the approval of Mr. Maher.
The host, however, pressed Mr. Newsom on a California state law which prohibits school districts from obliging teachers to tell parents when a student asks to change their gender identity at school. Trump administration assertive California’s law on Thursday violated the federal law and Mr. Maher adopted the post that parents should be informed when their children are looking for a change of identity.
Newsom defended the law as a solid policy, saying that California simply wanted to protect teachers who “did not report or interrupted a child speaking of their gender identity”.
“What is the work of a teacher? Is it to teach,” said Mr. Newsom. “I just think it was right.”
Mr. Maher has repeatedly expressed his desire to see Mr. Newsom presenting himself to the presidency. Friday, he asked his guest the question: “Are you going to do it or not? Come on, tell us.”
Mr. Newsom left a lot of room to maneuver after his last mandate as governor finished in early 2027.
“I deeply respect the question,” he said, “but I have no big plans because that respects this.”