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(Earlier this week Vogue Magazine posted up a special profile piece on Gavin Newsom [ [link removed] ]. I read it so you do not have to, but taking a few minutes to read it before reading my critique.)
When a Profile Reads Like a Publicity Plan
Profiles of powerful political figures are supposed to test reputations, not reinforce them. Yet Vogue’s new feature [ [link removed] ] on California Governor Gavin Newsom reads less like independent journalism and more like a companion piece to his forthcoming political memoir. The book has not yet been released, but advance access and early national coverage signal a coordinated media rollout built around its themes and personal narrative. Vogue’s profile follows that same memoir-style emotional arc and image-building approach.
Memoirs humanize and soften. Journalism probes and verifies. This piece adopts the logic of the former while wearing the label of the latter. It reads less like a political profile and more like a reputational assist.
1. Celebrity Treatment Instead of Political Scrutiny
The article opens not with policy or record, but with aesthetics: “Let’s get this out of the way: He is embarrassingly handsome, his hair seasoned with silver, at ease with his own eminence…” That is the language of a fashion spread, not an assessment of a governor’s governing record. Political journalism typically begins with consequences. Public relations begins with presentation.
2. Narrative Framing Casts Him as a Hero
Readers are told that “the only thing standing athwart Donald Trump’s will to power is Gavin Newsom.” Journalism does not anoint protagonists; it tests claims. This framing casts him as a defender of democracy before examining whether his governance supports that role.
3. Domestic Intimacy Replaces Public Accountability
Instead of decisions, we get dishwashers. His wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, offers this detail: “When he cooks, he cleans as he cooks. Dishes in the dishwasher—though I don’t always agree with how he puts them in.” These anecdotes are not meaningless, but they substitute for signals of conscientiousness as evidence of sound judgment. Time spent on dishwashers is time not spent on decisions.
4. Ambition Is Normalized, Not Examined
The profile references “his all-but-announced 2028 presidential run.” Journalism asks whether political elevation is earned. Promotional storytelling assumes it is. Treating ascent as inevitable sidesteps the harder question: what in his governing record justifies national advancement?
5. Elite Connections Are Mentioned, Not Investigated
We are told that Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is godfather to Newsom’s eldest daughter. His long-standing ties to the Getty family and Bay Area power networks are also described. Elite access is not disqualifying, but journalism’s job is to examine its implications. Here, those relationships are presented as color rather than influence.
6. Emotional Narrative Softens the Subject
Newsom reflects, “When language eludes you, identity eludes you, too. You start trying on costumes to see if they’ll fit.” That is memoir logic: self-interpretation in search of meaning. Journalism’s task is to connect personal history to public performance. Here, empathy precedes scrutiny.
7. The Tone Reads as Protective
The profile describes his memoir as something that “sets him up as someone who fights, someone who dreams big, someone who sweats the details, someone with a desire to serve.” That is the language of a campaign mailer, not an interrogative profile. The tone throughout reads as protective, consistent with a promotional genre rather than a scrutinizing one.
8. California’s Record Is the Missing Character in the Story
What makes the omissions striking is that California’s governance record offers no shortage of measurable outcomes a rigorous profile might examine. After thousands of words about personality, the results of his governorship barely appear. California leads the nation in homelessness and housing costs. Residents and businesses continue to leave. The high-speed rail project remains mired in delays and overruns. Billions were lost to unemployment fraud. Energy prices remain among the highest in the country. A profile that sidelines outcomes in favor of image informs readers about the persona more than the performance
So, Does It Matter?
Voters struggle to evaluate leaders when coverage emphasizes positive spin over documented record. This article functions less as reporting than as narrative reinforcement tied to a national political rebrand and a book launch. Vogue says [ [link removed] ] that they are a publication that is, “…dedicating itself to a celebration of groundbreaking image-making, great journalism, and the discovery of new talent” – clearly the emphasis is on image-making.
Memoirs exist to shape legacy. Journalism exists to test it.
Vogue chose the former.
Bonus Column! More Revealed About Gavin…
My longtime friend and former California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro has watched California politics up close for decades. In this column, he examines the carefully constructed life story Gavin Newsom is promoting ahead of an expected presidential run and contrasts it with a governing record that tells a very different story.
Del Beccaro points to the wealth, connections, and policy outcomes that complicate the governor’s preferred narrative, arguing voters deserve a fuller picture before buying into a memoir-ready image crafted for a national audience. If you enjoy this column, go seek out Tom on Substack. He writes there a lot.
LINK TO TOM’S COLUMN IN THE CALIFORNIA POST [ [link removed] ]
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