Like so many others in the political sphere, Governor Gavin Newsom of the Republic of California now has his own podcast, ostensibly created to find common ground with his political opponents. For last week’s first episode, Newsom chose to interview Turning Point USA founder and president Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist. Overall, it was an interesting and polite interaction between two men who have completely differing political philosophies.

The portion of the interview that garnered the most attention came 22 minutes into the podcast when Newsom asked what the Democrats should do to perform better in the next election. Here was Kirk’s challenge:

Charlie Kirk: You have an opportunity to, like, you know, run to the middle. … The young man who’s about to win the state championship in the long jump in female sports — that shouldn’t happen. You, as the governor, should step out and say, “No.”

Gavin Newsom: And I appreciate that.

Charlie Kirk: But, like, would you do something like that? Would you say, “No men in female sports”?

Gavin Newsom: Well, it's— I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair.

Here, Newsom publicly admits that males playing in female sports is completely unfair. This is an astonishing admission for a governor who made California a sanctuary state for transgender-identifying kids, with or without their parents’ approval.

However, after listening to the rest of what Newsom had to say on the subject, he doesn’t really run to the middle. In fact, he subsequently trotted out both of the Democrats’ favorite arguments for transing the kids — namely, that gender-confused youth are more likely to commit suicide and that there aren’t many males competing in women’s sports. To which Kirk quickly countered that 890 trophies and medals that should have gone to women instead went to gender-confused men over the last five years.

Newsom quickly switched gears and ended that particular discussion by asserting he wants to be compassionate toward “transgender” people while keeping sports fair. Newsom is a shrewd politician, and he knows that transgenderism is an 80/20 issue. He’s merely the first prominent Democrat to pretend to run to the middle.

Newsom seemingly moderated on other topics, too, like cancel culture and racialism in the classroom against whites and Jews, but he maintained his position on so-called “banned books.” Kirk should have corrected this ubiquitous term among the Left because books aren’t being banned; they are simply being removed from elementary and middle schools because they are pornographic.

While this podcast conversation was an interesting one, Governor Newsom has overseen California’s worst woke excesses. Make no mistake: He is absolutely no moderate. He is a radical leftist who:

• impoverished his state
  
• drove out hundreds of thousands of residents due to horrible leftist policies
  
• allowed crime and homelessness to proliferate
  
• allowed the predatory inclinations of State Senator Scott Weiner to dictate party policy
  
• was among those responsible for creating the conditions that allowed Los Angeles to burn

Whether or not Newsom is choosing to use his newfound platform to sell his persona to the American people in preparation for a presidential campaign in 2028, he is a failed governor who has backed one of the most radical leftist agendas in the country. He’s the reason people in red territories tell Golden State newcomers, “Don’t California my [insert state].” We have all seen where his mismanagement and poor governance led California. Why would we want that on a national scale?

No matter how hard Newsom tries to “run to the middle,” it’s too little, too late. We’ve already witnessed how he operates, and it’s the opposite of what our country needs.