The democratic brand is toxic, says the governor Newsome of California

Governor Gavin Newsom of California said on Friday that the democratic brand was “toxic” and that his party had to admit his mistakes, offering hard love while the Democrats fight in their fight against the Trump administration.

Mr. Newsom, once considered a liberal fighter, has undertaken a research on the political soul in the months since President Trump won the White House and the Republicans won both Congress’ houses. On Friday, he used his strongest language to criticize his party during an apparition in “real time with Bill Maher”.

“The democratic brand is toxic right now,” he said, indicating recent news of the NBC survey This showed the Democrats a favor of 27 %, the lowest in at least one generation.

Mr. Newsom, a possible candidate for the presidency of 2028, blamed his democratic companions for the troubles of his party. He criticized the Democrats to be judgmental, remain in an echo chamber and resort to “cancel culture” to ignite people whose opinions find disgusting.

“Let’s talk to people,” he said. “Let’s talk about past people.”

The governor found in Mr. Maher a understanding figure who for decades has questioned democratic orthodoxy despite his liberal trends.

Mr. Newsom this month launched a new podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom”, on which he interviewed guests of all the political spectrum to discuss, in part, what he went wrong for the Democrats in the 2024 elections. The first episodes presented conversations with Charlie Kirk, who leads the youth organization Turning Point, and Steve Bannon, architect of the “Make America” of President Trump.

Those guests in particular aroused fierce criticism from the liberal allies of Mr. Newsom, who accused the governor of legitimizing the opinions of the right and of not being able to correct the inaccuracies expressed by his guests.

“This idea that we can’t even have a conversation with the other side?” Mr. Newsom said with disbelief on Friday.

“You owe. They won,” Maher replied.

The Democrats were divided into the best way to face the Trump administration and the Republicans at the congress, in particular this month when Senator Chuck Schumer in New York, the leader of minorities, delivered the votes to avoid a government arrest. Mr. Schumer defended his decision As a responsible, if not popular choice. But many democrats saw him as a sign that their party was weak.

Internally, Democrats are still trying to understand what went wrong last year and how they can resume congress in 2026.

Mr. Newsom hosted the Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, the vice -presidential democratic candidate for last year, for a conversation published last week on “Where the Hell our party is right now”, as Mr. Newsom said.

“This is an existential moment and our unit against Trump is not increasing our trust, he is not helping the democratic brand,” said Newsom to Mr. Walz.

Senator John Sfretman, Democratic of Pennsylvania, also criticized his party on Friday, saying in an interview with politician That the party would be in a “permanent minority” if he had not put his act together.

On Friday, Mr. Newsom declared to Mr. Maher: “We have to possess our mistakes. We have to possess what is wrong with our party”.

Mr. Newsom’s comments remember the time that former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger His Republican California party said members in 2007 who were “dying at the box office”. Almost two decades ago, Schwarzenegger urged its conservative base to move towards the center to obtain relevance in California, at a time when the Democrats controlled the legislature and almost all the state offices there.

For the most part, California Republicans have ignored the advice, have lost even more seats and have never won a state office since then. State party activists had comfort in the national success of the Republicans, who moved to the right and obtained earnings elsewhere.

Mr. Newsom surprised the Democrats this month when he said in his podcast that he was “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to play in women’s sports. He reiterated that position on Friday evening, to the approval of Mr. Maher.

The guest, however, pushed Mr. Newsom on a state law of California that forbids school districts to request teachers to say parents when a student asks to change their gender identity at school. The Trump administration affirmed Thursday that California’s law violated the federal law and Mr. Maher took the position that parents should be informed when their children seek a change of identity.

Mr. Newsom defended the law as a solid policy, stating that California wanted to simply protect teachers who “did not report or brigades on a child who spoke of their gender identity”.

“What is the work of a teacher? It is to be taught,” said Newsom. “I just think it was right”

Mr. Maher repeatedly expressed his desire to see Mr. Newsom applying for the presidency. On Friday he asked his guest’s question: “You will do it or not? Come on, say, tell us.”

Mr. Newsom left a lot of space to maneuver after his latest mandate while the governor closed at the beginning of 2027.

“He deeply respects the question,” he said, “but I have no big floors as he respects him.”