BRUTAL: Gavin Newsom exposes Trump’s BIGGEST BACKFIRE

Governor Newsom, thank you for for. joining us. So. >> wasn't, you know, I'm not an old man, uh, you know, hardly in a hurry anymore. Forgive me for being a couple hours. late, but it's great to be here with. you. I I had the privilege I was just um. and it may still be going on. Uh, Jesse Jackson's uh, celebration of. life uh, in Chicago and um, which was. remarkable. And uh [applause]. and I'm not exaggerating, it still may. be going on.

>> [laughter]. >> So, I had to sneak out a little early and. uh, and forgive me for being tardy. So, I want to start off with Prop 50, California. Uh, you took decisive. action, first governor in the country to. push back on the power grab that took. place at the hands of this. administration, which I think you. deserve a ton of credit for right off. the bat. I appreciate. >> [applause]. >> This was in response to Texas drawing. four districts at at the at the behest. of Donald Trump, the demand of Donald.

Trump. Uh, five districts, sorry. Five. districts uh, that he felt he was. entitled to. This past Tuesday, uh, in Texas's. primary elections, four of those. districts had higher Democratic turnout. than Republican turnout. >> Amazing. [applause]. Yeah. Yeah. Did this whole effort backfire by. Republicans? Was this a fool's errand by. Republicans to have engaged in the first. place? Uh, it's still to be determined, but you know. let's back up a little bit on this. It's.

it you you you use the word entitled. because that's exactly the word that. Donald Trump used when he called Greg. Abbott. He said, "I'm entitled to five seats.". Which is remarkable and chilling just on. its own. Then again, it's hardly. surprising. This is a guy after January. 6th, that day of love. tried to light democracy on fire, tried. to steal the election. You know, democracy is for suckers. Kind of the attitude. Then went down. there, you know, talking about finding 11,

12,000 votes down in Georgia. He knows, and I was with the speaker to. be, uh Jeffries, uh um. an hour or two ago. Uh he knows he's. going to get shellacked in this. election. He knows he's going to lose. the midterm elections. So, one thing we. can all agree on, if we do our job, and that's why he went. out and made that phone call to Greg. Abbott to try to rig the election before. one vote was cast. What typically is the case, and I say. this with love and reverence to my.

party, our party, Democratic Party, so often our response. to something like that would be to try. to win an argument. You know, to maybe go out, Brian, and. we, you know, work to maybe get an op-ed. in The New York Times. I'd say, "Gosh darn it, you know, just. this is so wrong.". >> Or maybe maybe even a strongly worded. letter. Or maybe a strongly worded. letter. I don't want to get ahead of. ourselves, but And and I'll be candid. with you, that was kind of our. inclination. It started with a tweet. I.

was very satisfied with myself. I said, "We had 500 likes." I said, "That's amazing.". Uh. but it occurred to pretty much all of. us, and Brian, you were a real vocal. leader on this, all holding us to a. higher level of expectation and. accountability, cuz this time last year, not many of us were sure. I mean, we were hand-wringing, you know, we were struggling in every. way, shape, or form as a party to figure. it out. We were still in this, are we. really going to do a forensic, what the.

hell just happened? And there was a sense that we just truly. weak. and ineffective, and weren't able to get anything done. And I think it was in that stew that we. decided to do something. uh little bit differently. But of. course, that required a few phone calls, and the first and most important was to. former speaker Nancy Pelosi, who did the. impossible. She had just a matter of. days. We had to do a special election in. response to draw these new lines and she. went to the largest delegation in the. country and remarkably got back a few.

hours later said, "Let's do this." Of. course, we didn't necessarily know how. to do this and we went through a process. over a course quite literally of about. 10 days in total. and put this on the ballot with a 90-day. sprint, raised $118 million. and we not only drew the line, but we. held the line and we pushed back and we. fought fire with fire and we punched. back at what happened in Texas. And. >> [applause]. >> And And Brian, the the thing for me it.

just, you know, once a mind just. stretched, it never goes back to its. original form. And. it was. What was remarkable about it and again, you were such a big part of it was how, you know, in the spirit of Obama we were. just with a moment ago as well as all. these self-organizing communities coming. together. It wasn't a top-down campaign. It was Prop 50 after all, 50 states. And our state of mind was about losing. this republic, you know, 250th. anniversary the best of the Roman.

Republic, best of Greek democracy, co-equal branches of government, popular. sovereignty, the rule of law, not the rule of Don. And it's increasingly, I think, dawning. on all of us that for things to change, we have to change. And as a consequence of what we did, we're doing everything. differently now with a recognition of. precious and profound this moment is. We. can lose this republic. This guy is not.

screwing around. Let me highlight that. Brian, on the day we kicked off the. campaign for Prop 50, it was at the Democracy Center in Little. Tokyo. It's a sacred site in Los Angeles. where we were interning the bussing the. the. It's a sacred site. I underscore that. because we had about a thousand people. at a rally, uh two US senators, we had a. dozen members of Congress, clergy, uh. civil rights leaders to kick it off, and. we looked outside, people were having a. difficult time getting in. We're like,

"What's going on?" They said, "Well, there's a bunch of masked men outside.". We rolled our eyes. There's not masked. men. There was one exception, a guy dressed. up, I kid you not, as if he just came. off the Burbank lot, Warner Brothers, in 1930s garb, including the haircut, guy named Bovino, Gregory Bovino, was out there with his private police. force. Appeared to be private, no markings, no reference to who they're working for,

an intimidation tactic. to keep people from walking in. Poor guy selling, true story, strawberries across the street, disappeared that day. We finally tracked him back. He finally. came back a few weeks later. Collateral. damage. We said at that time that is a preview. of things to come. What more evidence do. you need than what happened in. Minnesota? Those guys clearly took an oath of. office to Donald Trump, not the. Constitution of the United States of. America. On election day, again, if you.

think I'm overstating things, on election day, Bovino, Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, the dark heart of the. operation, sent out border tactical teams. These. are the border patrol tactical units. with, you know, these are the folks with. the Apache helicopters. On election morning, sent them. to the highest profile location you can. find, particularly after the Dodgers win. the World Series, to Dodger Stadium,

to get all the morning news, to send a. message to our diverse communities. already on edge, because we had 4,000 National Guard. federalized, 700 active duty Marines not. sent overseas, but the second largest. city in the United States of America to. send a message, "Don't bother to turn. out the vote.". We said at the time that is a preview. of things to come. Of course, that came after Donald Trump. sent out a Truth Social even earlier. that morning saying the election in. California is rigged.

He also sent out the Department of. Justice, Pam Bondi sent out his team, election walker watchers and observers. the next day tweeted out, "We have the. evidence.". And they went to the Supreme Court. A preview. of things to come. I kicked off this book tour in the South. in Tennessee. We were down in Fulton. County. Met with the commissioners. Headed the commission. Trump is not only did he take with, you. know,

all that team of folks, Tulsi Gabbard, and everything else. He's now. trying to impose. to take over that commission for the. election. this year. A preview of things to come. to nationalize the election or at least. in 15 blue states. What's the SAVE Act all about? It's not. about voter ID, it's about who gets to. vote. It's about voter registration. This guy. is not screwing around. And nor can we.

And forgive the long-windedness, you. opened up with Prop 50. That's what it represents. We have got to fight fire with fire. I wish it weren't the case. The idea that we were advocating for. gerrymandering. The fact that we were advocating. for literally politicizing. in choosing voters shows you how. precious again and profound and. consequential this moment is in our. republic.

>> [applause]. >> So, you mentioned that that was a. preview of things to come and you. repeated that line and I think that that. line is is a is important to have. repeated. Do you think that that's. gotten through to everybody else in the. Democratic Party? Because, you know, you. also mentioned at the top that it is. very of the Democratic Party to write an. op-ed in The New York Times. I said to. write a strongly worded letter and that. feels like the Democratic Party that. I've always known. This idea that, you.

know, as long as we just kind of um. expect democracy to work or or or confer. some degree of goodwill to the other. side that maybe it'll be reciprocated. Do you think that the gravity of this. moment has gotten through to the rest of. the party because not every governor in. this country is going to be you or Maura. Healey, you know? We should be so lucky, but they're not. And so, do you think it's gotten through? It's getting through. Look, these guys are ruthless.

We're trying to again win arguments, they're consolidating power. Enough. And the asymmetry is real. These. propaganda networks, the primetime lineup at Fox, I'd just. remind you, you know this, that Laura Ingram herself is a partner. in a business deal with Donald Trump Jr. I mean, it's Pravda. What's happening in Sinclair, One. American News, Newsmax, the asymmetry in. terms of their ability to flood the zone. and communicate is extraordinary. And.

so, again, for things to change, I'll. keep saying it, have to change. It's not. what happens to us, it's how we respond. to what happens to it. And so, we need. to change our tactics and you're seeing. it. I You We saw J.B. do a I mean, he did a remarkable job. We. were just with him in Chicago and in. response to what happened again in the. preview of what was to come in Chicago. after what happened in D.C. And of. course, you saw the same with Governor. Walz and I never thought, I'll tell you. again, never thought I'd get a call like.

this. Just a few months ago, I get a call from. Waltz and I'm like, how you doing pal? He's like, hey, I thought it would be. you first, he tells me. But it's me. I could use a little help. I said, whatever you need. He goes, for my legal. defense fund. A sitting governor calling another. governor quite literally to raise money. because he's under criminal indictment. by Donald Trump. So he's in the mayor. We forgot about that. These guys are not screwing around. You. think for a second.

that's not likely to happen out on the. West Coast? This is different. He's an invasive. species. And. and so, you know, if nothing else Brian, it's. awakening up our immune system. And and it's all it's so often the case, isn't it? I mean, it's you know, how. many extraordinary moments you've had up. here with historians and authors. It's. always the case. It's the people first. You know, Justice Brandeis and the most.

important office. is the office of citizen. It's not. president, governor, mayor. Office. active, not inert citizenship. And. you're seeing that the No Kings rallies. You saw it in that second one. People. what you saw it in the steel spines of. the folks in Minnesota. That's why Trump's in retreat. That's. why Kristi Noem was just fired. It was. those folks. It was you. All of you. standing up, meeting this moment. So, [applause] yes, I think the.

we're getting the message. And there are. a lot more messengers and I think. there's a lot more activity and action. and passion in the spirit of Oliver. Wendell Holmes that is being shared all. across this country. To what extent do you think that the. fact Trump and his acolytes feel so. emboldened to act the way that they are, that that's born out of. an unwillingness to hold them to account. the first time? Look, you know, I think about, you know,

Trump is Trump, but you know, Speaker Johnson, you know, Lindsey Graham, I I thought the two. most effective anti-Trump surrogates was. a guy named J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio. But I. you know this and we've talked about. this. I I've gotten so frustrated that. you know, I even put up a Patriot site. You can go online.

and on my Patriot site, I sell knee. pads. Uh. And the good news, Brian, is we have a. we have new Trump signature series knee. pads. Uh. The old ones sold out. Just like our law firms are selling out. Just like our universities have sold. out. Just like corporate leaders have. sold out. Just like members of the media. have sold out. And they've got to be called out. I'm. sorry. We'll lose this country. The complicity at this moment.

trying to make a deal with Donald Trump. Or those that are also complicit, they're putting their head down and. hoping it just all goes away. I mean, we we I just left Jesse. Jackson's memorial. Talking about this notion we have. agency. We can shape the future. We're. not bystanders of the future. The. future's not in front of us, it's inside. of us. It's decisions, not conditions, that determine our fate and. and future. That's the spirit of an. accurate statement. That's the spirit of.

Kennedy. The spirit of the '60s. You know, I'm going to tell you solve. for ignorance and poverty and disease. And and so I think it's the spirit that. defines this moment. So that complicity. also needs to be called out much more. aggressively because at the end of the. day, my summation of Trump, it's it's. really not complicated. It's a. corruption story. Everything connects to that, just like. the tariffs. He had to come face-to-face with a. co-equal branch of government. It was a.

bit of a shock, wasn't it? You saw that. press conference last Friday or the. Friday before, and it wasn't. about. our country as much as it was about his. personal portfolio. And if you think again, I'm overstating. it, just consider the tariffs dropped. 26% in Vietnam right after the. Vietnamese approved. the $1.5 billion golf course and. development. That's what the IEEPA meant to Trump. It's about his personal portfolio. And.

you say, "Well, they hold on. That's not. fair." Well, let's go to the UAE. Let's talk about the $2 billion there. World Liberty Financial. Let's talk about the high-valued chips. that were sent in return. for the $2 billion. This is a grift the likes of which we've. never experienced in history of this. country at a scale unprecedented. And. all these guys want to get in on it. Every one of these foreign. trips,

who was the first envoys out there? Members of the family, people in. business. What's this board of peace? It's about getting a piece. of the middle that Come on. You got to call this out. It's not. complicated. It's in plain sight. And there's a timidity. You know, Bobby's language, you know, "The world needs are the. qualities of youth, not a time of life, a state of mind, a quality of. imagination, predominance of courage.

over love of ease." This notion of, you. know, courage over love of ease at this. moment. And and so, again, forgive, you. know, my mom. I wrote about her in this book who's. passed away 20 years ago. She'd probably. be washing my mouth out with soap. Uh and forgive me, Mom, but I just feel. like this moment requires. us to radically shift. Conventional. politics no longer applies. >> [applause].

>> To that end, I want to read an excerpt. and you and I have spoken about this. particular excerpt before and this was. right in the lead-up to. to the first same-sex marriage that that. you would be responsible for and this is. what one of your campaign consultant. said to you. Quote, speaking. while we're talking about. uh uh. cleaning your mouth out with soap. Quote, "What the are you doing. here? Why did we work so hard to win if. you can't do something bold?" he asked.

"This is a short life, Gavin. Your time. as a politician to get things done is. just a blip." And so while we're talking. about doing something bold, what does. that look like in 2026 in in in very. much the same way that that, you know, when when this took place decades ago, that was the bold movement. Look, I mean. it's all about 2026. I I it's it's exhausting this guy or gal. on the white horse that's going to come. save the day in 2028.

It's all about 2026. There may not be a 2028 as we know it. >> [applause]. >> There may not be. I And again, that I. mean, there'll be an election, you know, you know, competitive authoritarians. love elections. Like Putin, you may. Google this, I think it was 83. Or 87.3% I think is what he did. Yeah, and someone got 4.3 or something uh. below. That's the kind of election that. we may have if we don't take back the.

House of Representatives. And dare I say. now take back the United States Senate. this November, which is in play. >> [applause]. >> in a big big way. And so. it's Look, my the big And it goes to the. you know, and I get the friction of what. happened in 2004. And, you know, we were. barely even debating civil unions back. then. And I kind of took a leap of. faith. And, you know, Massachusetts was. a big part of that as well. You did as. well. I think we share that in so many. ways in common.

Um and it, you know, it was an audacious. move, and there was a lot of critique. and criticism and a lot of punditry. And. it was a lot of soul searching for me, and I talk a lot about that. It was. universally condemned by members of my. party. Um you know, my family. my dad tried to talk me out. I write. about it in the book. There's a scene. with he and my uncle, and they had an. intervention the night before trying to. talk me out of it. Old Irish Catholic. family. West Side, San Francisco. Dad used to go and grew up uh down in.

the Marina District. And, you know, his. mom and dad every morning got all six. brothers and sisters dressed up to go to. church every single day. This is not. even the black and white movie days. It. feels like yesterday. That was my father. And here was his son. pursuing the dreams he never achieved. After trying to run for county. supervisor and losing. turning around in 1968. and running for state senate and losing.

with the help then of Bobby Kennedy. We. have these campaign. photos. from that time. And he lost both races and was broke and. broken. and took off. leaving my mom 19 when she had me 2. years later with two kids on her own. Um. came back eventually, but wasn't there. in the beginning. I was pursuing.

his unfinished work. And so, I get. elected as the youngest mayor in 100. years. And, you know, he's you know, the. you know, Jimmy Gleason thing, how sweet. it is. And I'm like, "Dad, this we. should start marrying same-sex couples.". Didn't go over very well, as you can. imagine. Uh. and uh. you know, there's a scene where I was. debating it with him and in this fierce. advocate for justice, one of the. nation's great trial attorney, Joe. Cotchett, his best friend. And and Joe. was trying to debate me as he does with.

everybody. Um and I said, "Joe, I I I I. give up. I I don't know what else to say. except, you know, I'm doing it cuz it's. the right thing to do.". And and that's literally when he turned. to my dad and uncle and said, "Boys, well, he'll be doing this tomorrow. because it's the right thing to do." And. we moved forward and married 4,036. couples from 46 states and six countries. in that winter, not summer, of love in. San Francisco. And it was glorious and. extraordinary, but it was also.

extraordinary. the, you know, self-doubt that came with. that afterwards. And sort of the. reflection of my own complicity and sort. of the matter. and you know, in the mega political. moment. Sort of the beginner's mind, the. naivete perhaps I had of it. If I knew what I knew, I probably. wouldn't have done it. And there's something about the. beginner's mind, the Roger Bannister. theory of life, the guy who broke the. four-minute mile cuz he didn't know he. couldn't. Everyone else was an expert, they knew. that the human body didn't move that. fast.

And and so, you know, I think what it represented. though was conviction to your question. I'm coming back to that. And whether you agreed or disagreed, and. this notion of conviction is also a. strength. And I think for our party. the last year, few, to sense our party back again, I said a. moment ago, is weak. And I was just with Bill Clinton and. Hillary. And you remember what Clinton. said years ago when we got slapped at. one of those midterms many moons ago. He. said, "Given the choice,

the American people always support. strong and wrong. versus weak and right. And there is something about just. strength and conviction. Yes, we want to. be strong and right. That's the sweet. spot. But having the courage of your. convictions, being able to get out there. and sell them. Be out there selling it every day to. flood the zone. To make the case, but have the courage. of your convictions to share that. And and finding that equal weight, I. think is how not only we get back,

though I'm confident in 2026, but we get. back that mojo. You know, I think that that sense, you. know, and forgive me, I I'm just you you. guys some of you know this my staff. certainly know this is like you don't. even know what what I'm serious like. what. being here. for a guy like me. You know, and I write about not, you. know, I don't read speeches cuz I can't. read speeches, but I read. But I can't deliver speeches that I read.

and just, you know, how. Sargent Shriver and Bobby and JFK like. like it's probably here. It's reflected in my father and, you. know, so I the fact that I'm here. having this conversation is is it is. extraordinary. But. I say all that to make this. what's so evocative of this is the thing. that's the hardest thing. You know, and I've tried this as mayor, as a. county supervisor, as lieutenant. governor, governor. You can't legislate.

spirit. You can't legislate pride. You know, and sort of the the vernacular. defines this hallowed ground and this. notion of going on a journey together. And and I just think that's the language. we need again. This notion of going on a. journey together, a journey where. everyone sees themselves and they part. of it. And and I think that's the spirit. That's the that's strength. And that's not power, dominance, and. aggressive aggression. That's not. Trump's version of strength. That's the strength.

defined by the people that. all the preachers were talking about. today. King and Gandhi and Mandela and. Havel, you know, Cesar Chavez. that shared their moral authority. It's about moral authority. And and if. we can use. our moral authority, we'll gain back the formal authority. Uh and I'm confident in not only 2026, but also 2028.

>> [applause]. [cheering]. [applause]. >> So, you spoke about this idea of. redefining what the Democrats stand for. Right now, we're in a moment where it's. kind of uncertain what the Republicans. stand for other than blind devotion to. Trump. But, I mean, this is this is a. guy who himself had campaigned on this. idea that he wanted to enter no new. wars. Here we are in a new war every. week. Uh a guy who campaigned on. bringing costs down. Thanks to his trade. war, costs are surging. Uh.

how do you think about what the. Republican Party stands for moving. forward given the fact that they've been. perfectly content to shed every. purported ideal they've had in the. lead-up to this moment? >> Well, they're supine. There's no Republican Party. Back to this invasive species construct. They don't exist. And it's remarkable. I. mean, you have Ronald Reagan. I I walk. in Ronald Reagan's old office every day. when I'm at work. Governor Ronald. Reagan. I mean, he's looking down literally, not. just figuratively, his painting on.

Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Uh I I don't I has nothing in common. with this. This is a guy, Trump, who. said he was going to make us wealthier. and healthier. We're. quite literally sicker and poorer. You saw the jobs numbers today down. 92,000. We lost over 100,000. manufacturing jobs in the last 12. months. 1.4% GDP contract now starting. to slow down. We saw one of the worst. jobs growth years that we've had since. recession, roughly 2013.

Um. speaking of 13, I mean, it's not even 13. cents today. I saw it was 37 cents. overall gas prices have increased week. over week. And if you're in Indiana, it's 47 cents. West Virginia, 47 cents. in just 1 week. There was the energy. minister in Qatar, they had their. largest LNG facility. that was just taken out. The second. largest LNG exporter in the world, their. largest LNG facility was just taken out. by an Iranian drone. And he talked. about, his words.

in the FT this morning, $150 a barrel of. oil. You talk about wrecking. ball presidency? I mean, certainly reflected symbolically and. subtly in the Imperial Palace that he's. trying to the Kremlin West Wing that. he's trying to recreate. And that's all all this has. Donald Trump. is. you know, it's all about destruction. And destruction is not strength. He's not a builder.

You know, Sam Rayburn, what do you have. that you know, you have you always like. remember years ago I was like, who's. this Rayburn guy? He says, well, he had. a great quote. I always remember the. quote when I was a kid because you know, any jack house any jackass can you know, knock down a barn. It takes a skilled carpenter to build. one. Forgive me, but Donald Trump is a. jackass. I believe that. >> [applause]. >> And And.

it's only thing it has in common with. any institutions, truth, trust. I don't even get to Kennedy stuff. But. come, let's let's go down the list. These guys are rewriting history, censoring historical facts. They want to. bring us back to a pre-1960s world, America in reverse. LGBTQ rights, women's rights. I mean, we've seen it on. civil rights and now voting rights. across the board. It's happening in real. time. That's why states matter and I. want to just thank your state governor. for I guess she's must have written a. book cuz I think you must have learned.

or she could have in the time that you. spent together talking about that but. Maura, how important she is and how. important governors are. States are on. the front lines of all of these battles. But we all are now in this consequential. moment and so no, I. I do not know what Donald Trump stands. for. Right now, he stands for Donald. Trump. And and that's that's at the essence. of almost everything and we've talked. about the Epstein files but I don't want. to go down that dark hole. But that's also reflected in.

what that's all about as well. It's. about him. Something about those files. and him. You don't care about laying anybody out. So who is he protecting? We know. He's protecting himself. There was a really interesting part of. the book where you discussed your. meeting with Donald Trump, going on a. plane with him, having phone calls with. him. What struck me about about that. part of the book is it didn't feel like.

it felt like there was two distinct. personas between the public one and the. private one. And so can you speak a. little bit about about who he who he. pretends to be in public, whether you. think that there is some legitimacy. behind that and who he is in private. Uh I'll talk to you about who he tried. to call on Air Force One. Oh, thank God she didn't answer. Uh. >> [clears throat]. >> that would not have gone well. I'd have. been kicked off the plane. Uh. I got a call. This would this is a more.

contemporary call and I'll go back. briefly to what's in the book. In this. book, by the way, if if if you were. coming to get a book about 10-point plan. to restore America's soul and future. and a comeback, that is definitely. you're at the wrong venue. It is not this book. If you came to read a book that was some. sanitized version. of a political life, this is not that. book either. This is the opera this is.

If you don't like me, you should buy this in bulk. With the one exception, I. wrote a book that went up to when my. father, God bless him, he he lasted long enough. to see his son get elected governor. He was in a wheelchair and election. night passed away a few weeks later. Didn't see me get sworn in, but boy, he. was there. And what a what a night that.

was for me. And that's where the book was going to. end. Um. but the fires last year, I was going to. release this last year in Los Angeles, required an. an extension of the book because I met. Donald Trump. as governor-elect. after the most devastating and deadly. wildfire in American history, Paradise, California. Right before I got sworn in as governor. when Jerry Brown was governor of. California. And I describe that trip in.

detail and it marks. our relationship, which is an. interesting one and let me highlight. that. The night before he federalized 4,000. National Guard. Remember, that all. happened in California first. So much of. this is happening in California first. His efforts to try to get and purge the. voting rolls happened in our state first. even before Pam Bondi demanded them. as an extraction payment to get the. National Guard or rather get ICE out of.

Minnesota, they had already demanded that of us and. a number of other states many, many. months ago. Donald Trump demanded my. attention. on a night. that I'll never forget. At 10:30, 11:00, I'm getting this. strange phone call, missed call, missed. call, missed call. from some place in Florida. And I. it just. couldn't be, right? It's 10:30. I'm doing the math. I'm, you. know, I may have dyslexia, but I can.

still count. Uh. which I'd love to get into. Um. not the counting part, the dyslexia. Um. and I I texted Susie Wiles, and she. goes, "Yes, call him.". So, I call him, and this was when there. was we had a modest incident in. Southern. They colored it in. It was It. was an incident, legit, but they really. covered it on, you know, Hannity at Fox. uh in Los Angeles. And Trump called me,

presumably to talk about LA. I jump. right into LA. He cuts me off cuz "What. do you think of Newscum?". His nickname for me. I'm like, "Newscum?" He go And then he I'm about. to say he says, "Pretty original, right? Pretty original." I said, "Original?" I. said, "Not original. I just wrote a. literally told him I said I just wrote a. book. There's an eighth grade bully that. called me Newscum. It's in the book." Um. and he goes, "Oh, no, you know." He. goes, "Well, what about mega? What about. mega?" I said, "What about it?" I said, "Are you Are we seriously having this. conversation?" Literally, this is how it.

went. He goes, "Pretty good, right?" I. said, "Well, no, Reagan kind of had. that, too, and it's not original." He. goes, "Well, how many hats you think I. sold last month?". It is 1:30 in the morning. Mar-a-Lago time. I don't know how many Truth Socials he. was in. at that hour. Uh but apparently he sold about 211,000. hats. I was like, "Well, that's actually. impressive.". >> [laughter]. >> And the whole conversation.

got even more curious. We he said he. starts talking about how he won the. debate against Kamala. I'm like, "No, you didn't.". And he said it was four against one. I. said, "I thought there was just only two. hosts." He goes, "Well, the cameraman, the cameraman.". So, anyway, it's 17 minutes later. And. by the way, if you think I'm making this. up, there was an Oversight Committee that. demanded my. notes on this conversation. I literally. am not making any of that up.

About 18 hours later, the next day, there's a true social say, "I read. Newsom the riot act.". And I am federalizing 4,000 National. Guard. It was 2,000 and eventually. 2,000. But what the hell is this? That's Donald Trump. That's the Trump in the book. That's the guy slapping me. on the leg saying, in front of Jared. Kushner, "Kushner, you were not my first choice. Tom Brady was.".

Right in front of Kushner. Gives a whole long story. I thought it. was kind of a joke and then I'm like, "Oh God, he's serious.". Literally, you should read for nothing. else, you know, I'm know your audience, you may want to read that. But he was trying to read me and I was. trying to read him. Sizing each other up, you know? We're We're then. and we land on Marine One. and Marines are walking up like this and.

Trump hits me. He goes, "It's I'm right. there." Marines are about to open the. door. He goes, "Schwarzman, Schwarzman. doesn't get this.". Some of you know who Schwarzman is. Guy he's always competed with to be. as wealthy. as Schwarzman. We get on Air Force One, he starts. petting the side of the plane. He goes, "Isn't amazing?" I said, "It's amazing, sir.". "You're amazing, sir.". is what he was looking for.

You know, we walk in the bedroom and I'm. like, no other president would ever do. this. I don't know that I want to go in the. bedroom with any other president. I. And it was really incredible. And then. he we went back and did a press. conference in the I didn't know he could. do press conference. Now you see it all. the time. It was It was amazing. Called. me the next day. You know, I describe after I. took a little shot on my inaugural. and he calls me and he honestly, it's in. the book. He He expressed being almost.

hurt. I'm like, whoa. And I was I was. ready to apologize said, I didn't It was. just a oblique, you know, yeah. And he goes, well, I we're all good. We're all good. We're good. And then he. said and then he starts talking about my. family. and my kids and said something. he shouldn't say about someone's wife. That's Donald Trump. And and every foreign leader knows this. You can spin him on your finger. The most easily manipulated I mean, it's.

alarming. It's alarming. And so, it's all about that transaction. It's all about that relationship. He's a. broken man. to try to break this country. It's not. complicated. And that's why again, we. have to remain vigilant. Because this is. a guy who's It's He's been exposed. Weakness masquerading as strength. You know, with respect and forgive, you.

know, forgive me, but you know, between. he and Bessette, it's dumb and dumber. right now. These guys, I mean, this isn't been a. this this thing is collapsing all around. us. You know, I live in the Mag 7 West Coast. that's kind of holding up this whole. market. All the cap ex. You know, I'm out there in a state where. his state of mind is to take 10% tithing. from Intel. I thought I I I remembered Ronald Reagan. out there with, you know,

Thatcher talking about, you know, free enterprise is a healthy horse. pulling a sturdy wagon. Now it's state capitalism. 25% AMD, 25%. Nvidia, MP materials golden shares. or golden iPhone to avoid. a drop in your shares but getting a. tariff exemption. This is different. And so. that relationship that was formed then. allowed me to navigate during COVID in a.

way where we actually got along. remarkably. and allowed me to navigate up into that. phone call. But when he drew that line. and. and it felt like he declared war. on an American city in Los Angeles last. last June. That's when I recognized I. had to radically change. And you saw it. and forgive me, back to, you know, soap. in the mouth, washing it out,

my social media shifted as well. And and if you haven't noticed, you know, yeah. Not many people are apologizing or. applauding that. But I I just thought. I'd put a mirror up to this. How has. this been allowed me normalize? This. normalization of deviancy. How are we not calling this all cap out? How can he cosplay literally dress up as. the Pope? Like dressed up as a Pope. Dressed up as Superman and put his.

picture up there on Mount Rushmore. So I. decided to start doing it as well. And so offended, so offended. was the primetime lineup at Fox. So. offended was the five. How could a governor do this? It's so. unbecoming. Jesse, what do you say? So situationally unaware of how. complicit. they all have been at this moment.

We don't want to be in peril being. judged not to have lived in this moment. And so all of us, we need to put that. mirror up. We need. You know, otherwise we put a mask on and. our face is going to grow into it. We. won't even recognize ourselves, not just. our country. And we can do it with a little sense of. humor. And I think with Trump, going to your point and again, forgive. the long-windedness, there is a there's. a sort of, you know, back and forth. He's got a sense of humor.

Remarkably personable. I spent 90. minutes with him in the Oval Office. after I. uninvited, though I finally got invited. I kind of pushed myself onto the tarmac. in LA. Um, where he was very gracious. And um, and I invited myself to the Oval Office. um, a month later. And it was 90 minutes. of sort of banter back and forth. Um, but I realized and, you know, and we all do. You you don't work with Donald Trump. You can only work for him.

And I have no interest in working for. Donald Trump. That's the red line. that will never be crossed. >> [applause]. >> While we're on the subject of weird. relationships, Kimberly Guilfoyle. Okay. Oh, jeez. Look, I Y'all seem to know a lot more. about that than most things. That's. interesting. I I have spent the last. week trying to figure out what the. question would be here.

I know that I wanted to ask a question. >> something to drink. That took some. courage to bring this up. >> [laughter]. >> Well, I didn't see Jen, so I figured. Yeah, I figured you figured my wife's. not here. So I don't really know. >> just on that, so I can try to distract. him. >> [laughter]. >> And he may forget the question he was. about to ask. So we're on Air Force One, I get the royal tour. It was amazing. He. was incredibly gracious. He really was. And he was treating everyone rather. graciously as well. It was sort of a. mark of interesting. character trait that I've never seen and. haven't seen since.

in terms of how he treated, you know, the pilots and everybody and how. gracious he seemed to be with the staff. But he really wanted me to call my wife. And I don't know if any, you know, some. of you maybe have had the privilege. I'd. never been on Air Force One. I figured. you just pick up the phone and dial. That doesn't work. There's some operator. back like some old day movie set. And he's like, and I'm like, oh gosh. Not Jen. Not my wife. She was not happy I was. with Trump.

And he's standing right above me waiting. for the operators to say, "Sir, we have. Jen Siebel Newsom on the phone.". And we waited. I'm like, okay. Well, we're watching Fox News and he's, you know, and I'm like, "Sir, she's not available." He's like, "Oh, that's really too bad. That's uh. uh. And luckily I ended up having to call. He said, "Call someone else." I ended up. calling my sister and he got bored with. me and walked away. I said, "Hillary, um thank you. Just You're good? Good. Thanks. Bye.". Uh you just uh.

forgive me, but uh you were saying about. Kimberly. So On the topic of unfortunate. relationships, um what. how. like uh was she always Is this an act? How did this happen? I mean, the the the. the gulf between you and her. >> Well, I you know, I'm. young man in a hurry. She was a young. woman in a hurry. She uh. pretty fierce prosecutor.

Um was in LA. Made her way to San Francisco. Um lot of cross currents with Kamala and. the DA's office. I mean, it's. interesting. And, you know, I was sworn. in as mayor the same day Kamala was. sworn in as DA. We walked across the. street for her swearing in. And, you. know, we were all in this sort of. friends group. Um, and um, frenemies group, not with Kamala but. with Kimberly and Kamala. Uh, and. she was a very effective prosecutor. There's a famous um, dog-mauling case.

uh, where Court TV was starting to. assert itself. And, she was on there a. number of times cuz she was prosecuting. that case with a co-prosecutor, deputy. DA. And, it was a very high-profile. case. It was getting a lot of national. attention. And, she started getting a. lot of national attention. And, she. seemed quite gifted on TV. So much so. that Roger Ailes. eventually called her. After she went to work part-time for. Court TV, and then part-time, full-time uh, at.

Fox. Uh, we just got I got just got. elected mayor. She just gets the job. from Ailes. That's not a relationship that's going. to last. But, she always had that. prosecutorial energy. She had amazing. father, mom died very young in Puerto. Rico, dad from Ireland. And, he was just. this, you know, just blue-collar, worked. for PG&E, just hard-work contractor. part-time, and just raised his two kids. after his wife died very young to be. tough.

That's who she is. Um, but talking about a mask, you don't get. to go on Fox for very long without. putting that mask on. And, that face. grows into it pretty quickly. And, that's what happened from my. perspective. And, then she, you know, presumably I guess they must have fallen. in love Donald Trump Jr. where they were engaged. And, you just. can't make that up. You know, our our first lady of San. Francisco engaged to, you know, and as. we're going back and forth. So, it's.

been a hell of a. you know, it's uh it's not easy to talk about. these things and. it was a hell of a thing trying to edit. what I wanted to say about this in the. book. knowing that my wife was likely to read. it. So, it's uh. but it's you know. but I write about it and I try to be. honest about it and I also, you know, I. you know, I you know, I married in the church, you know, you know, you feel like a failure. And this book is about failure. It's.

about setbacks. It's not about triumphs. It's about mistakes. It's about, you. know, it's hardly about, you know, perfection. I think if there's anything, maybe it's about perseverance. It's. about discovery. It Young Man in a. Hurry, you know, became a memoir of discovery, the sub. headline, because. I. wrote a book. that. I couldn't go back and talk about my. life to my mom and dad, cuz they were no. longer here. And so, I had to go back and I had to. start to learn about things I never knew.

about them. Secrets they never shared, including of why they got divorced. I. found out about that in the process of. writing the book. They never told me why. they got divorced. I never understood. why my father left. I never understood. my mom's relationship. to her father who took his life. He was. a prisoner of war at Corregidor, who put a gun to her head when she was. very young, threatening to kill her. in a fit of rage of alcoholism, and. eventually taking his own life.

I never understood that connection. I. never understood how that shaped her and. how that shaped me. and who I am today. Single mom working. two, three, sometimes four jobs. And by. the way, I describe them in detail that. none of that is exaggerated. Who we had. in our house our entire life, there was. always a stranger there, cuz we were. renting out rooms. We were foster family. growing up. Just hard work. Single moms. Just single. moms. Oh my. Single moms. I love all the single moms out here.

And so, in many ways, this became a love. letter to her. The things I can never say to her. because I She's not around. I I She. never met my kids. You know, I I talk about the day Trump. called me. There was a moment Oh God, you think. about your mom those moments. The inaugural. As a kid that struggled and still does. with dyslexia, and again, back to my. inability to look down and read. speeches. Um and how I felt like I was dumb.

And there was plenty of evidence to back. that up. And how my mom struggled with with a son. who's struggling. And, you know, she. told me some piercing words that I write. about in the book where she said it's. okay to be average. And that did not sit well with me. Um and in the process of writing I. realized she was just saying it's okay. And I In the process of writing this I. forgave her. And I keep forgiving. I You. know, and.

and and so it's a journey, but it was. came to. just in intense terms the day of the. inaugural, and I'm reading the only. thing I can read, which is a. teleprompter speech, and it's, you know, they're not These are not speak These. are not memorable speeches, my. teleprompter speeches. I'm sort of fixed. on the words. But I noticed the audience was not. fixated on anything I was saying. Because in the corner I'm seeing this. shadow running around.

My 3-year-old. who was sitting in the front row with. his pacifier and his blanket. Dutch, Dutchy. And the crowd is kind of laughing a. little bit, and he's running away from. my wife. My wife's in a panic. People. all paying attention. And he runs right. up on stage as I'm speaking. And bolts right to my leg. And I'm. looking at the teleprompter and with our. first 100 days we will and people are. like and I look down I'm like. and I course pick him up.

And then what does he do? He puts his. head. right I mean you can look this up and I. have to give the speech. with my son. And I swear to you to this day there's. never been a speech people like I want. that speech again. Cuz they don't remember a damn thing. that I said. It was just the way everyone felt and I. and the way I felt at that moment I was. like I could oh if mom could see this. That's all she wanted for her son. That connection you know and so this.

book is about. opportunity to. make up for that. You know, my dad never. had that. My dad was amazing. I love my dad and. I've never ever doubted he loved me. Came back to my life much later. Was a. huge part of my life but he never had. that. Was here maybe but was never here. The bare tone of life. >> [snorts and sighs]. >> And and that kind of love. is to me the most important. That's.

that's what this book is about. All the. mistakes I made. and how I'm trying to make up for them. I'm trying to be a better person. This. young man in a hurry. was too focused on himself. It's all. about me me me. And one of the most profound moments. where that just came crashing was when. of my mom and I write about this in the. book where I get a voice message and. it's my mother. Hi. It's your mother.

Uh. you may want to see me before next. Thursday. because that will be my last day. Course I immediately then call my. sister. What what's going on? And she says well what's going on is. you're not paying attention to anything. You're out there running around. You've. got this little small business. You. think you're all that as a county. supervisor and you haven't been paying. attention to mom. Breast cancer's come back. I said, "I. know that." She goes, "No, it's come. back." I said, "But she's going to be.

fine. She got this past a year ago. She. came over it." She goes, "No. She's doing an assisted suicide next. Thursday.". And by the way, it was illegal. in California at the time. And I know. this is an issue. I trust me, I know the. audience. I get it. And I didn't understand it. And so I had. to come to grips with. kind of jerk I've been running around. all about me, me, me, me, me. And to spend those last precious days.

with her. But I had to spend the last. precious minutes and seconds with her. Courageous doctor willing to lose his. license. And everybody said their goodbyes. They're in the living room, my sister. and I just with our mom. And she's looking through all the old. photos, those sort of 70s patina photos. And the medicine's starting to. Doctor left, medicine's starting to. kick. And my sister's crying, I'm crying. And. my sister looks at me, I'm like, "Go.

It's okay." And she bolts out. And I'm stuck there. I'm like, "I don't. know that I can do this much longer.". But she's still with us. And I'm holding her hand. And those last breath, nothing romantic. about this. I mean, talk about scars. I've like. scars. That last breath. And then I just put my head down on her. stomach for like 20 minutes. And I said. all the things I didn't even have the. courage to say 20 minutes before. Just feeling the shame of that. And it was just this.

wake up. Like, who the hell am I becoming? This is not why she lived and died. For. this, this guy. And so this is what this book's about. I'm scrutinizing my life. All the mistakes. All the insecurities, all the anxieties. I have sitting up here with you today. Um that mark who I am. And and I'm just trying to be a better. person throughout all this. And by the. way, just something that may or may not. resonate with you, what a gift it was.

You know, my first year as governor to. sign a bill in her memory allowing it to. be legal. in the state of California to at least. allow the grace. of. that journey that is unique for. everybody. And I I trust me, grew up in. the church. I get it. How raw that is. Um so that's that's a little bit of the. journey I've been on. And and and. Kimberly was part of that journey. Sincerely. Donald Trump's a big part of. that journey. You know? Trials and triumphs. It's.

just, you know, it's who we are. It's. being human. Let it go. Just let it go. You know, I I think. >> [applause]. >> so much of the book was about those fits. and starts. And there was so much. awkwardness. I spe- you were really. awkward for a lot of it. But I think the. the one part of the book that felt. different was when you were describing. um your relationship with Jen. And in. that part, it was the only part I. noticed like and I sit I sat up while I.

was while I was reading this part. because it it that part flowed so. effortlessly in a way that the rest of. the book didn't. And and I think that's. you know, inherently because that part. is the part that worked. And so I think. that that that's stuck out. And I think. it's worth saying that because. >> love that. >> Because I did like Uh cuz when you see. Jen, she's going to you know, yeah. >> That's why so let the record show. Uh. blind date. When you give up, you're like, "No, I'm. never." You know, it's like it's it's. like such a cliché. There's a reason.

clichés are clichés. And it was a blind date. She's 2 hours. late. I'm like, "Give it's like what. what was tonight? Uh. and I'm like, yeah, it's not going to. work and I was like, okay, hold on. And. and we spend. Plutonic time together. And everything's perfect. See her a couple days later. And then she says, "I'm a Republican.". I'm like, oh, come on.

>> [laughter]. >> Everything about you was perfect. And she goes, "Well, it's just cuz my. father is a Republican. Um and he still is.". Um. and she starts telling talking me about. her life and her story and her journey. and how she lost her older sister to an. accident and how it shaped her and. she you know, her journey which I write. about and she was sexually assaulted by. Harvey Weinstein. And and then assaulted again by a lawyer. defending him. Disgraceful lawyer.

Tried to intimidate and shame her. Disgraceful. No amount of money. The devil's advocate. I'll never forgive him for that. The. courage of young women to do that. And. she's a fierce warrior for women and. girls. She's a feminist and she's been. out there. She did a documentary called. Misrepresentation that Oprah bought. about the miss and underrepresentation. of women and girls decades ago. I'm so. proud of her. But there's a spirit in her because of. what she went through.

And I describe it and I love that you. bring this up. I describe watching her. dance first time I saw her dance. >> [snorts]. >> And this freedom. I mean, you just you. see something that's like. we talk about love and. all my West Coast friends, you know, love and light. And you're like, I don't. understand that. And then I see it. And. I'm like, oh, love and light. And she's just a bright light. And you know, she set me straight. She. didn't know she's like, I love your dad. She got to know my dad, but she's like,

are you going to be. like your father was. as a husband? She had to go through the Kimberly. stuff. She had to deal with a lot of that. afterwards. And um. and we established that. Then she. wondered, well, are you going to be your. father again when it comes to. our children? And um and so she took a leap of faith. with me. And so if I didn't describe her. well, um.

uh that's an injustice. And um and she. is the rock and she's the constant. Um. and uh I'm so in love and I'm so lucky. And she gave me the most precious things. in the world that are the four that are. I dedicate this to. Uh Brooklyn, Dutch, Hunter, and Montana. Uh and as I. dedicate to may they continue this. story. I want to finish off with. >> [applause].

>> with the question I get asked the most. when I see people and I'm sure a. question that you have to face a lot. when you talk to people and that is, are. we going to be okay? And so I want to. take this opportunity, while I'm sure. there's a lot of people in this. audience, a lot of people who are going. to be watching online, who watch what. we're contending with right now, see the. ways in which our democracy's failing, our our justice system is failing us. And you know, obviously the apathy that. that that we contend with among our. voter base as well. And what do you say.

to folks who who ask, are we going to be. okay? Uh. what a perfect question cuz it was. expressed all day today at the memorial. We were talking about errors, we're. talking about Malcolm X, we're talking. about King, we're talking about. Kennedy. Um we're talking about the '60s, how we. were torn asunder. in so many ways, shapes, or form, even. the early '70s. And you know, I I come from a city, San. Francisco, 1906 earthquake and fire. And our flag is the phoenix.

The phoenix rising from the ashes. Ah, that's the resilience we have as a. nation. Our capacity for renewal, rebirth. Um it's alive in all of us. I mean it's. alive in all of you. You haven't gotten. the memo that you shouldn't be here for. yourself or each other. You haven't dialed into the cynicism, the fear and the anxiety. You've had all. this stacking of stress, that grace you. haven't even given yourself. This original book, by the way, this was. not supposed to be a memoir. I submitted.

this to Penguin Pet Press and the great. Ann Godoff and she rejected my book. And I thought she was going to reject it. because I had one chapter about my. childhood. And the rest of it was about COVID and. social unrest, supply chain issues, uh and my first 2 years with Trump and 2. years with Biden. She goes. She goes. I want the memoir. And so I had to rewrite.

a brand new book. But in the old book, I talk about our. resiliency and I talk about. how we haven't given ourselves. the grace to really reflect on. everything you guys have been through. and gotten through. Just in the last five or six year, I. would say since the escalator with. Trump. But what many of you have lived through. going back decades and decades, what our. grandparents lived through. What my. grandfather lived through as a prisoner.

of war. You know, what my great great. grandfather lived through, you know, during the Red Scare and I write about. his relationship to Oppenheimer and. Linus Pauling as he was the doc his. doctor and and all of that and all the. FBI files. It's so and echoes today. And we're here. We've had triumphs, not. just tragedies. You know, since then. And so, I'm you know, I'm deeply. optimistic. But again, it's in that. spirit of, you know,

the spirit of today that moved me. It's, you know, as we pray, move our feet. Right? It's faith and works. You know, we just can't I I love the. candlelight vigils, but. not right now. You know, I'm sorry. We've got to fight. fire with fire. We've got to be as. ruthless. but lovingly. >> [laughter]. >> as they are. They're not screwing around. They're. trying to break this country.

They're trying to break us. Shock and. awe. Flooding the zone. Dominating the. narrative. That's Trump's great strength. is sussing up your weakness and. exploiting it 24/7. He loves our indignation. He loves our. outrage. All sort. folks on the dictatorial spectrum love. that. But they don't like the mockery. They don't do well with humor. Trump struggled a little bit with our.

social media. It's gotten under their skin. as we put that mirror up to their face. And so, I you know, you. you've all inspired us. You know, this imperial presidency. that's having a birthday party with a. military parade that's putting his. beautiful photograph on the side of the. DOJ. Bobby's building. You know, putting his name in gold everywhere. Again, that's weakness.

masquerading as strength. And you are. showing up. And you keep showing up over and over. and over and over and over again. And. we're going to show up just like they. did in Texas in record numbers this. week. We're going to show up in record. numbers this November, and we're going. to celebrate Speaker Jeffries with the. gavel, and we're going to celebrate the. beginning of the renewal and rebirth of. our country.

>> [applause]. >> Governor Gavin Newsom. Thank you guys so. much. Thank you for taking the time and. still being here this late evening. >> [applause]. [music]. >> Before you go, if you enjoyed this. content and you want to see more and. support independent media, please. subscribe to this channel. The subscribe. button will be right here on this. screen. But second, the reality is that. we are now in a political environment. where this administration can lean on. any of the social media platforms to.

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