Media Like Newsom’s Fighting Words—But Are Words Enough to Beat Trump?
Raina Lipsitz
NBC News (8/21/25): "the Democratic Party’s base above all else is itching for a fighter to take on Trump and the GOP"—but can Newsom "overcome the Golden State’s reputation for lurching too far to the left"?
Corporate media outlets, and the consultants and former administration officials who work for them, have a message for Democratic voters: To revive its dwindling appeal, their party needs a fighter to take on Trump. And California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has lately made headlines for parodying Trump on X, is the man for the job.
What makes Newsom the “fighter” (Bloomberg, 8/20/25, NBC News, 8/21/25, Newsweek, 8/21/25) Democrats need? He is “owning the MAGAs” (CNN, 8/19/25) and “forcefully push[ing] back against President Donald Trump and his red state allies” (Bloomberg, 8/20/25). He has “hit a nerve by hijacking [Trump’s] tactics…flood[ing] social media with a steady stream of all-caps screeds mocking the president’s signature style” (NBC News, 8/21/25).
He's adopted an “aggressive posture…both in policy and style” (Newsweek, 8/21/25). Moreover, he has “rocketed…to algorithmic dominance” with his “MAGA-parodying strategy” (Politico, 8/20/25). The Sacramento Bee (8/20/25) has dubbed him “feisty and statesmanlike.”
Arguably as eager as many Americans for someone to take on Trump, the Canadian press has jumped on the bandwagon; the Globe and Mail (8/21/25) recently published a column headlined, “Is Gavin Newsom the Last Best Hope for American Democracy?” Columnist Gary Mason praised Newsom as a “defender of American democracy” whose “televised speech to Californians during [Trump’s] ICE raids was a master-class in communication.”
'The one we need'
Sara Pequeño (USA Today, 8/21/25): If he "could help win over some disaffected Democrats who want to see the party stoop to Trump’s level...Newsom may be the party’s best bet for the next presidential election."
Even those with mixed feelings about Newsom have concluded that he is the man for the moment. Politico (8/23/25) wrote that although his decision to host influential right wingers (like Steve Bannon) on his podcast was “provocative,” and his social media posts were “posturing,” they had nonetheless “positioned him as a de facto leader of the opposition party.”
CNN analyst Aaron Blake (8/19/25) acknowledged 2024 polls that showed that most Americans who had heard of Newsom viewed him unfavorably, but argued that Democrats should nevertheless draw inspiration from the fact that “one of their own is showing some wherewithal in charting a path forward.”
USA Today columnist Sara Pequeño (8/21/25) declared that Newsom “isn't the Democrat we want,” but he is “the one we need against Trump.” Newsom, Pequeño continued, “may come off like a sleazy politician, but at least he’s our sleazy politician—someone willing to be aggressive and stand up to Trump.”
Best of all, as far as these outlets are concerned, Newsom has accomplished all of this while “rejecting the belief of many liberal activists that effectively fighting Trump requires the party to move left” (Bloomberg, 8/20/25)—a belief shared by 50% of Democrats polled in April 2025. (Only 18% said their party should “become more moderate.”)
'Long known for pragmatism'
AP (5/15/25) reports that Newsom is trying to "rebrand" himself, as if his brand hasn't always been "business-friendly centrist entrepreneur."
The problem with anointing Newsom the savior of the Democratic Party is the paucity of evidence that rank-and-file Democrats will be excited to vote for someone who claps back at Trump on social media, when that someone has a record of harming and betraying vulnerable Americans: seizing homeless people’s belongings and calling on cities to dismantle their dwellings, slashing healthcare for undocumented immigrants, restricting the rights of protesters, successfully pressuring lawmakers to gut California’s landmark environmental law, and calling it “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports.
Because corporate media outlets have taken Trump’s 2024 victory as evidence that the Democratic Party has moved too far left, they are eager to portray Newsom’s shifts as part of a commonsensical and pragmatic effort to broaden his appeal by tacking right.
Others say Newsom’s politics have been fairly consistent. In a 2022 story about the governor’s coziness with California business interests, Politico (12/29/22) asserted that he “has long been known for pragmatism on economic matters,” quoting a former adviser who said that Newsom had for years supported “social policies that don’t threaten economic privilege.”
The AP (5/15/25) headlined a recent story “California Gov. Gavin Newsom Tries to Rebrand Himself Ahead of a Potential Presidential Run.” "California’s Democratic governor is appealing to the political center and trying to shed his national reputation as a San Francisco liberal," the article reported—though as a former San Francisco mayor, Newsom was a conservative in that city's terms. The millionaire business owner campaigned on "get-tough ballot initiatives on homelessness and panhandling," and won office with the help of the local Republican Party, which phone-banked for him (New York Times, 12/11/03).
Regardless of how these outlets frame Newsom’s decisions, it’s clear that his positions are out of step with the needs and priorities of most California Democrats and many of the state’s voters. Although multimillion-dollar anti-trans ad campaigns have weakened support for trans rights, Democrats are still much likelier—by margins of more than 30 points—than Republicans to support policies that safeguard the rights of trans people.
Californians of all stripes, including majorities of Republicans, support a range of policy solutions to homelessness other than banning encampments; California lawmakers voted down an encampment ban for the second time in 2024. And a statewide poll conducted by Tulchin Research in June revealed across-the-board support for California’s environmental law, including from a majority of Republicans.
Hungry for leadership
The key words here are "for people like you" (NBC, 4/25/25).
Most polling contradicts the belief that Trump won in 2024 because Americans, including those who are or lean Democratic, have soured on trans rights, the rights of homeless people and environmental protections. Attitudes towards immigrants and immigration, which are contradictory and media-driven, likely had more of an effect. Nor is there any compelling evidence that Democrats can win back Congress and the White House by strategically selling out small but vulnerable constituencies, or gutting popular environmental protections as floods, storms and wildfires ravage the country.
Just ask former US Rep. Colin Allred, the Democrat who challenged Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, what happened after Allred—instead of defending trans kids and pivoting to issues more people care about—released an ad saying, “I don’t want boys playing girls' sports or any of this ridiculous stuff.” (Spoiler alert: He lost to Ted Cruz by 8.5 points.)
Multiple reports and a number of polls do reflect rank-and-file Democrats’ desire for a national leader who can effectively counter Trump. They also reveal widespread dissatisfaction with our politics; a sizable plurality of American adults now say neither major political party fights for people like them. In 2024, nearly 90 million Americans—far more than the 77 million who voted for Trump or the 75 million who voted for Kamala Harris—were eligible to vote but didn’t.
Americans who oppose Trump are clearly hungry for strong leadership at the national level. Yet the only policy Newsom has recently put forth that has garnered significant public support is his push for California to redraw its congressional districts to favor the Democratic Party. Newsom has presented this as a necessary response to Trump’s efforts to further gerrymander Texas—a move, Newsom has said, that requires fighting “fire with fire.” California lawmakers have approved the governor’s proposal for a special election on a ballot measure to replace its current district map with one that favors Democrats.
It’s wise for the Democrats to fight back on gerrymandering, at least in the short term. (In the long term, federal legislation is necessary to ensure that state governments implement truly fair and independent redistricting processes.) But Newsom seems to think that all he needs to bolster his 2028 prospects is one splashy issue he can fight Trump on--and a little help from his corporate friends, donors and media outlets. The problem is, without a robust policy agenda designed to ease their lives, words won’t protect ordinary people from Trump.
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