California Gov. Gavin Newsom — a potential 2028 presidential contender — said on his new podcast that “it’s deeply unfair” to allow transgender girls and women to compete in women’s sports, a stark departure from the views of most of his fellow Democrats.
Newsom made his comments on the debut episode of “This Is Gavin Newsom,” which was released Thursday. It is a surprising move for Newsom, who as San Francisco mayor in 2004 defied state law by allowing marriage licenses for same-sex couples. Like other Democrats viewed as potential candidates for national office, Newsom has tried to find the positions that best set him apart from President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
The governor’s remarks weren’t the only notable thing about the episode — so was the guest. Newsom was joined by right-wing podcaster Charlie Kirk, whose Turning Point USA group helped Trump secure support among young voters.
Newsom’s comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports emerged unexpectedly during a sweeping and mostly cordial conversation with Kirk.
The governor, typically a staunch defender of LGBTQ+ rights, was engaged in a discussion about the Democratic Party’s shortcomings. He asked Kirk for his perspective on what Democrats were getting wrong.
Kirk didn’t hesitate and referred to a transgender athlete who recently won a California high school triple jump event. “Run to the middle,” he told Newsom. “Come out and be like, ‘You know what, 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.”
Pushing Newsom for a response, Kirk asked whether he would publicly take that stance. “I think it’s an issue of fairness,” Newsom said. “I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair.”
Newsom insisted, however, that the conversation couldn’t be just about fairness. Transgender people, he noted, face high rates of suicide, anxiety and depression.
“That’s easy to call out — the unfairness of that,” he said. “But there’s also humility and grace. The way people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with, as well.”
Transgender issues featured prominently during the last presidential race and the community has been terrified since Donald Trump’s election victory and return to the White House. Newsom’s comments also come just weeks after the NCAA yielded to Trump’s attack on trans rights by updating its policy to permit only athletes assigned female at birth to compete in women’s sports.
On the podcast, Kirk noted that Republicans have public opinion on their side when it comes to the issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports. Newsom didn’t argue. “We’re getting crushed on it,” he admitted. “Crushed.”
Polls show that a majority of Americans support some restrictions for trans athletes. According to a Pew Research Center survey published last week, 66 percent said they would support policies that require trans athletes to compete on teams that match their sex assigned at birth — up from 58 percent in 2022. Those results are consistent with a Washington Post-KFF poll from 2023, in which more than 6 in 10 participants said trans girls and women should not be allowed to compete in girls’ and women’s sports, including professional, college, high school and youth levels.
Still, Newsom’s comments drew swift blowback from state Democrats.
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D) said Newsom has had many courageous moments standing up for LGBTQ+ rights over the years. “This is not one of those moments,” Wiener wrote.
“The Republican strategy to eliminate trans people is to create fake moral panics — to falsely paint trans people as threats,” he said.
The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus released a statement in response to Newsom’s podcast, saying, in part: “We woke up profoundly sickened and frustrated by these remarks. All students deserve the academic and health benefits of sports activity.”
When reached for comment, Newsom’s spokesman referred The Post to Newsom’s remarks on the podcast. Kirk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On his daily show on Thursday, Kirk said, “I thought I did fine” debating Newsom. He said the most viral moments were the comments on trans athletes.
“Gavin Newsom obviously knows which way the wind is blowing,” Kirk said on his show. “Is Gavin being honest with his deeply held beliefs? I think it’s pure transactional politics, but who knows? And, honestly, who cares? What’s important is that we are winning on the issue.”
There were other moments in the podcast interview that underscored Newsom’s effort to carve out a more moderate stance on cultural issues. He dismissed “Latinx” as a term, distanced himself from pronoun introductions and called the push to defund police “lunacy.” He also took aim at “cancel culture.”
Newsom didn’t hold back when assessing the Trump campaign. He called an ad attacking Kamala Harris over gender-affirming care for detainees “brilliant” and “devastating,” admitting it was “a great ad” that struck a nerve with voters. Harris, he suggested, made a serious misstep by not responding, estimating that “90 percent of Americans” opposed her stance.
Newsom, who said the point of his podcast is to engage respectfully with people he disagrees with and to understand their animus toward his politics, also pushed back on Kirk’s focus on cultural issues.
“I had one meeting where people started going around the table saying their pronouns. One,” Newsom said. “There’s been a hell of a lot of days between 2020 and today, and one meeting. … Why is this the biggest issue?”
