California Gov. Gavin Newsom — an outspoken champion of LGBTQ+ rights since he was mayor of San Francisco — publicly criticized the “unfairness” of transgender athletes participating in women’s sports in his new podcast Thursday.
The Democratic governor made the comments during an hourlong interview with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, a loyal supporter of President Trump. The podcast explored the vulnerabilities of the Democratic Party in the wake of Republicans taking control of the White House and Congress after the November election.
Newsom also distanced himself from some aspects of “wokeness,” telling Kirk that no one in the governor’s office ever used the inclusive term “Latinx,” or started any meeting by sharing their preferred pronouns.
From the outset, the governor said his “This Is Gavin Newsom” podcast would feature conversations with “some of the biggest leaders and architects in the MAGA movement.” The podcast marks the latest in a series of publicity moves from a governor who is seeking to expand his audience nationally and is widely expected to enter the 2028 presidential contest. Newsom launched a separate podcast in the summer and will release his third book later this year.
Kirk, who told Newsom that he talks with Trump about twice a week, raised the issue of transgender athletes as a major political vulnerability for Democrats, saying it was one of many issues where they were out of touch with most Americans. Newsom agreed with Kirk’s criticism.
“The issue of fairness is completely legit, so I completely align with you, and we’ve got to own that. We’ve got to acknowledge it,” Newsom said.
Assemblymember Christopher M. Ward (D-San Diego), the chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, said he was “profoundly sickened and frustrated” by Newsom’s remarks.
“This is an incredibly rare circumstance, where somebody who is transgender, and, by the way, is well enough and is able enough to be able to successfully compete in sports,” Ward said. “So if this is what we want to spend 90% of our time focusing on, we are losing the sight of why people actually send us to Sacramento to work on California’s biggest pressing problems.”
During the interview, Kirk pointed to the San Jose State women’s volleyball team, which was recently embroiled in controversy after current and former players and an associate coach tried to have a trans player removed from the roster by filing a federal lawsuit. A judge later ruled the player could compete.
Newsom did criticize Republicans for trying to “weaponize” the issue of transgender athletes, who he said account for a tiny percentage of those participating in sports and belong to a community that deserves compassion, not cruelty.
“There’s also a humility and a grace that these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression, and the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with,” Newsom said.
