California progressives say Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to host conservative figures like Ben Shapiro and Charlie Kirk on his podcast is a "tough swallow" amid growing speculation about a 2028 presidential run. Critics argue the interviews risk legitimizing opposing voices and could alienate primary voters already frustrated by some of Newsom’s policy choices, including housing deregulation and tougher criminal penalties. Supporters counter that reaching across the aisle is strategic, but the move has intensified debate over his standing with the Democratic base.
Progressives Call Newsom’s Interviews With Conservatives A “Tough Swallow” As 2028 Talk Grows
As California Gov. Gavin Newsom sought to brand himself as a centrist, distancing himself from typically far-left California progressives, he faced an uphill battle in trying to balance representing both progressives and centrists.(Getty Images)
California progressives are expressing unease after Gov. Gavin Newsom invited prominent conservative voices onto his podcast, a move critics say risks alienating the Democratic base as speculation mounts about a potential 2028 presidential bid.
Political signaling, not just policy, is at issue. While some on the left accept that governors must sometimes make politically unpopular policy choices, several California progressives told reporters that Newsom’s decision to give airtime to figures like Ben Shapiro, Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon crosses a different line — one of legitimization.
“The bigger issues are on political choices like interviewing Kirk, Bannon, and [Ben] Shapiro,” said Elizabeth Ashford, a California-based communications adviser who once served as Kamala Harris’s chief of staff when Harris was California’s attorney general. “No matter how it’s framed, a sitting governor giving these guys airtime is legitimizing. For progressives, choices like that are a tough swallow.”
On the Jan. 15 episode of his podcast "This Is Gavin Newsom," the governor agreed with Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro that transgender issues represent a core deal-breaker for parts of the Democratic base. In a separate March 2025 interview with Charlie Kirk, Newsom called the participation of biological men in women’s sports "deeply unfair," framing it as a question of fairness in competition.
California progressives think Gov. Gavin Newsom courting conservatives on his podcast is a "tough swallow," as he bids for the presidency in 2028.
Why Progressives Are Concerned
Beyond the podcast guests, progressives have held other policy complaints against Newsom — including support for broad housing deregulation, reductions in environmental review for some housing projects, and law-and-order measures such as tougher penalties for smash-and-grab thefts. Critics say those record items, combined with high-profile conservative interviews, could complicate Newsom’s standing with primary voters.
A Democratic strategist told The Hill that Newsom faces a political squeeze: perceived as too liberal by national critics in some circles, yet not fully trusted by the progressive base because of policy decisions that have disappointed some activists and groups in California.
Supporters argue that engaging opponents and testing messages across ideological lines can be a strategic move for a national campaign. Still, for many on the left, the optics of a sitting Democratic governor platforming conservative provocateurs amount to unnecessary triangulation ahead of a possible presidential run.
Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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