Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom sat down one-on-one with conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk for a frank discussion about his party’s shortcomings in the 2024 presidential election.
In the first episode of his new podcast, “This Is Gavin Newsom,” the governor marveled at Kirk’s success as the founder of Turning Point USA, which played a pivotal role in President Donald Trump making inroads with young voters.
Newsom cited the op-ed penned by famed Democratic strategist James Carville, who urged Democrats to “roll over and play dead” and allow President Trump and Republicans to “crumble beneath their own weight and make the American people miss us” as part of a “strategic political retreat.”
That didn’t sit well with the governor.
“I immediately, no B.S., thought about you, who’s just 24/7 flooding the zone, owning this space every day, getting a convert every day, picking up one, two, 10,000 folks, continuing the momentum, coming out of this damn election,” Newsom told Kirk. “And then I’m thinking about – we’re gonna stand back and watch you run circles around us for six months, the next two or three years, waiting for the moment to finally strike – struck me as not necessarily the best advice. And that’s not a knock-on Carville, who I have deep respect for.”
“Yeah, I hope you guys retreat. More for us!” Kirk gleefully replied. “I mean, there’s no opposition, no activist spark. You guys are posting these cringe videos on social media-”