Gavin Newsom rediscovers fighting MAGA is popular

[marmar]

Gavin Newsom rediscovers fighting MAGA is popular
Other Democrats should pay attention

By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published June 13, 2025 6:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) Gov. Gavin Newsom wanted to play nice with the MAGA movement after Donald Trump's 2024 election win. Before Trump's demoralizing victory in November, the California Democrat had been building up his reputation as a political brawler, willing to go toe-to-toe with even the creepiest figures of the MAGA movement. In 2023, he even had a faux-presidential debate with Republican Gov. (and soon-to-be-also-ran) Ron DeSantis of Florida. Even as Newsom's theatrics annoyed some folks, I can't deny it was effective. When people outside of the politics-and-journalism professions talked to me about a Democrat they found intriguing, it was almost always either Newsom or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Then Trump won, and a whole bunch of Democrats panicked. Although it was a squeaker of an election — it's easy to forget that, despite sweeping all seven swing states, Trump barely won —his false claims of a "landslide" got into many Democratic heads. Incorrect conclusions were drawn, among them that the country had dramatically shifted to the right and, therefore, Democrats must as well. Newsom became the face of this error, because he can't help but screw up with the same drama he brings to everything else. In an ill-fated effort to make nice with MAGA, Newsom started a podcast promising "honest discussions with people that agree AND disagree with us," all "without demeaning or dehumanizing one other." But that goal was undermined when he offered lightweight, normalizing interviews to MAGA leaders like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon, ignoring how they built their careers by demeaning people.

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Newsom, however, doesn't have the luxury to focus group-test an "immigrants are human: yes or no?" message. His state is under siege right now from a lawless president whose only goal is to stoke violence. But while Newsom has no other choice to fight back, these past few days, he has risen to the occasion in a way that even the most cynical can't deny. After Trump lobbed threats of arrests his way, the governor called his bluff. He dared Trump to arrest him, forcing the president to back down in the manner of all cowardly bullies. Newsom sued the White House to stop the illegal deployment of the National Guard against mostly peaceful protesters. And, crucially, he's been speaking about this whole disaster with a refreshing honesty that is all too rare among consultant-addicted Democrats.

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All week, Newsom has been talking like a normal person who is understandably outraged over watching his state become a punching bag for Trump's anti-immigrant tantrum. In an interview with progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, Newsom was crystal clear in explaining that Trump's actions caused the violence. He also spoke the blunt truth about the president and the people around him. Trump, he said, is a "stone cold liar." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is "a joke" and "everyone knows it." Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is also "a joke." Newsom seemed exhausted, but still fired up and done playing games. It's a good look. .................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/06/13/gavin-newsom-rediscovers-fighting-maga-is-popular/