California Governor Gavin Newsom has not formally launched a 2028 presidential campaign, but his recent behavior leaves little doubt about his national ambitions—even as his record back home raises serious questions.
Rather than focusing on governing California, Newsom has been touring South Carolina churches and community centers, shaking hands in early primary territory while the consequences of his own policies pile up in Sacramento.
This week, Newsom appeared on the Shawn Ryan Show, where he spent over four hours discussing his worldview. But when confronted with a basic question—should eight-year-olds be given medical treatments to change their biological sex—Newsom hesitated.
His response was meandering and evasive: “Now that I have a nine-year-old, just became nine, come on man…” He then shifted to vague musings about age, pronouns, and anecdotes involving his staff mocking him for trying to use the term Latinx.
“Yeah. I mean, look, now that I have a nine-year-old—it just became 9—come on, man… I get it, so those are legit, you know. It’s interesting, the issue of age. As someone that’s been so focused on equality, broadly LGBT rights, particularly gay marriage, the trans issue for me… https://t.co/eZMo8yhnGc
— The Central Scrutinizer™ (@Micky_Finn) July 15, 2025
While the governor may now be trying to sound more cautious or reflective, his policy record tells a different story. In October 2021, Newsom signed AB 1184 into law, enabling minors as young as 12 to receive puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones without parental knowledge or consent. One year later, he declared California a “sanctuary state” for out-of-state minors seeking transgender medical care, effectively undermining parental rights across the country.
By July 2023, Newsom took it a step further by signing AB 1955, prohibiting schools from informing parents if their child adopts a new gender identity. That bill drew swift backlash, including from Elon Musk, who cited it as a reason for relocating SpaceX headquarters to Texas.
Newsom’s track record reflects consistent support for policies that sideline parents and institutionalize radical gender ideology—yet on the campaign-style podcast tour, he hedges. He jokes. He dodges. But what he does not do is take responsibility or reverse course.
Critics, including California Republicans, aren’t buying his rhetorical shift. As Jennifer Van Laar and Katie Jerkovich have noted, Newsom’s sudden moderation comes just in time for his exit from the governor’s office in 2026. It’s a familiar political maneuver: govern from the far-left, then attempt to rebrand once higher office is in view.
