Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a podcast, in what seems like a brazen ploy to rebrand himself and gain an audience among the dudebro podcast-listening set whom Trump managed to court. And in his first episode, he decided to jump over and join the conservative argument against trans athletes in sports.

As SFist noted in brief on Thursday, Newsom has a new podcast on iHeartMedia called "This is Gavin Newsom" in which he is "going solo and diving into the real issues that matter — government, politics, affordability, quality of life, and the cultural moments shaping our world."

And as the promo copy goes, it's all about "No spin, no script, just real talk about what impacts listeners most."

But it's certainly telling that Newsom chose as his first guest the conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA and a former campus culture warrior turned MAGA world activist.

Newsom used the opportunity to lay the groundwork, most likely, for his long-delayed go at a presidential campaign — a campaign in which he will have to put some distance between himself and his days as mayor of liberal San Francisco, when he became the first major-city mayor to defy state law and open the doors of City Hall to same-sex marriages way back in 2004.

The headlines are blaring today how Newsom has chosen, no doubt strategically, to throw trans athletes under the bus and break with Democrats on this issue.

"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," Newsom said. "I revere sports. So, the issue of fairness is completely legit."

As the New York Times notes, Newsom even joked on the podcast about how long people have been reporting on his presidential ambitions. And, they write, "For years, he was one of the fiercest Democratic antagonists toward President Trump, casting himself as a next-generation liberal warrior fluent in conservative orthodoxy who could lead his party into the post-Biden era. But in recent months he has softened his tone toward Mr. Trump and attacked Democrats over their strategy."

It seems, much like Elon Musk did last year, Newsom sees where the political winds are blowing and he's decided not to totally fight them any longer, in the interest of eventually gaining power himself.

And this is no doubt going to alienate many of Newsom's progressive and LGBTQ+ supporters, even if he long ago alienated progressives in multiple other ways.

More alarming, perhaps, than the comments on trans athletes is the fact that Newsom gave a platform to Kirk and didn't push back when he made comments about gender-affirming care for trans kids as "chemical castration," and claimed that there were "pornographic" books in the libraries of California elementary schools. (Just a few months ago, Newsom was threatening to pull state funding from the Temecula school district that tried to ban a history curriculum that included Harvey Milk and branded him a "pedophile.")

Kirk quotes some highly spurious polling that suggests that "60% of voters under 30 support President Trump" and claims that Democrats are "losing the youth vote," which seems demonstrably untrue, and Newsom doesn't disagree or suggest otherwise. Kirk suggests someone can go to Cal to study "North African lesbian poetry," and Newsom just laughs and says, "Is that an actual degree there?" and when Kirk says, "You tell me, Governor," Newsom says, "I don't know."

Kirk even ribs Newsom about how the podcasting realm is too "masculine" for Democrats, to which Newsom replies, "What do you mean by that?"

Newsom also tries to relate himself to Kirk, who didn't go to college, by bragging about how low his SAT score was (960), and despite his very privileged background growing up in Marin County, he claims he only got into a four-year college because of a baseball coach. WHATEVER YOU SAY, GAVIN!

Anyway, it's all a pretty disgusting display and California Democrats have responded accordingly.

State Senator Scott Wiener tells the Times that the interview was "a gut punch from any Democratic leader, and particularly from Governor Newsom, because he has been such a staunch ally for the LGBTQ community."

Assembly Member Alex Lee [D-San Jose] posted to BlueSky Thursday, saying, "WTF. Trans people and LGBTQ+ people are under attack. We don’t need our gov caving to conservative talking points that further hurt and scapegoat 1% of the population."

Suzanne Ford, who is the first-ever trans director of SF Pride, did an on-air interview with KTVU on Thursday night in which she said, "What he did this morning was a calculated move to the right to appeal to a broader base of people," adding, "I would remind the governor that he cannot run away from his record. He has supported LGBTQ people."

Trans activist Charlotte Clymer gave a statement to the Chronicle saying, "There are any number of ways Gavin Newsom could have had a good faith conversation on this issue. Instead, he intentionally chose to buddy up with a fascist who openly wants to eradicate trans people."

The Times notes that Newsom's move aligns with recent polling by the Times itself that found that the trans athlete issue is particularly fraught, even for Democrats, in the national realm. The January poll found that "nearly 80 percent of Americans, including more than two-thirds of Democrats, opposed allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports."

And now that Gavin doesn't have to worry about his electability in California anymore, the gloves are off, I guess, and we'll be seeing more of this placating of hateful fascists on his podcasts. Can't wait 'til he brings on someone who wants to repeal same-sex marriage!

Previously: Gavin Newsom Now Facing Eighth (!) Futile Recall Attempt, But This Time Mel Gibson Is Involved