Gavin Newsom breaks with Democrats on trans athletes in sports
SUMMARY
California Governor Gavin Newsom made waves in his new podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom,” chatting with conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk. The Democrat, long a champion of LGBTQ+ rights, broke ranks with his party, calling it “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to compete in women’s college and youth sports. “It’s an issue of fairness—I totally agree with you,” he told Kirk, a Trump ally. Newsom, a former college athlete with daughters in sports, said the GOP’s been smart to “highlight” this, admitting Dems are “getting crushed” politically. He nodded to killer Trump ads slamming Kamala Harris on trans healthcare, calling them “brutal.” Kirk pressed him on a trans high school track star in California, and Newsom didn’t dodge—though he also voiced sympathy for trans folks facing high suicide rates. The 75-minute talk was chummy; Newsom distanced himself from “Latinx,” police defunding, and cancel culture, even poking fun at his French Laundry flub.
