Gavin Newsom didn’t understand podcast bros, so he became one.
The Democratic California governor launched his podcast This is Gavin Newsom to understand the very demographic that helped Donald Trump win his second term and the one that even piqued his 13-year-old’s interest.
Male-centric conservative podcasts have become a contentious point in society as many young men are flocking to the likes of Andrew Tate and Joe Rogan, who push far-right values and have swaths of youthful Republicans tuning in.
He kicked off his series by talking to Charlie Kirk, 31, the former president of Turning Point USA and far-right political activist, who – unironically – has his own podcast.
Newsom, 57, also brought on MAGA supporters Steve Bannon and Michael Savage – all to the dismay of his liberal voters.
But that’s the point, the father-of-four said. He wants to engage with men on the opposite side of the spectrum to understand them and hopefully encourage some to go to the blue side.
‘This issue of young men and what’s happened to our party is deeply on my mind and will be deeply part of my podcast,’ he told The New York Times.
He wants to explore the ‘things that we’re uncomfortable exploring’ in hopes of finding an explanation – and perhaps a space among the bad rap group of podcast bros.
But his supporters, such as the President of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, Jodi Hicks, isn’t too fond of Newsom getting too close with far-right influencers.
‘I don’t think you have to invite those folks on and give them a platform to explore how we can do better for our young men,’ she told The Times, saying people like Kirk spread ‘hateful rhetoric that is harmful to our young men.’
But the numbers don’t lie and Trump took home 56 percent of men ages 18 to 29 – a 15-point change compared to the 2020 election and is one of the reasons Newsom started his podcasting journey.
The current US leader even used conservative podcasting platforms to reach young impressionable voters – a campaign idea spurred by his youngest Barron and what might have ultimately helped scored him the election.
Trump’s youngest son spearheaded the so-called ‘Bro Vote’ movement that secured his unprecedented election victory by acting as his unofficial podcast adviser.
Barron, 18, was ‘very involved’ in selecting which podcasts his father would appear on and urged him to sit down with videogame streamer Adin Ross and Joe Rogan.
Trump’s campaign courted typical non-voters to the polls through the use of ‘bro politic,’ a hyper-masculine campaign approach that targets young men.
Trump attended football games, UFC fights, and tapped into young men’s interests in alternative banking by launching his own cryptocurrency business, which Barron was reportedly a driving force behind.
The Republican, 78, also infiltrated the Gen-Z market with endorsements from high-profile ‘bros,’ including tech billionaire Elon Musk, UFC president Dana White and former WWE wrestler Hulk Hogan, who celebrated Trump’s hyper-masculine promises.
This election cycle was the first time a Republican presidential candidate honed in on the ‘bro vote.’ Trump won the presidency with 54 percent of men voting for him, up slightly from the 51 percent that supported him in 2020, according to exit polling.
Seeing this had Democrats wondering what went wrong.
The topic of toxic masculinity has been longed talked about and often found in the depths of social media, where young men are being exposed to right-wing figures and their views.
And it seems to have reached Newsom’s own home, as his 13-year-old son is a fan of Kirk and even begged his father to stay home from school to meet the Republican podcaster – a move the governor declined due to the young scholar having school.
‘He literally would not leave the house… but he’s not here for good reason,’ the politician told Kirk in early March.
Kirk responded with a jibe at Newsom’s handling of the Covid pandemic, saying: ‘Well, you canceled school for like two years, what’s one day?’
The admission from Newsom came as he also broke ranks with liberals earlier in the podcast as he condemned transgender athletes’ inclusion in women’s sports, branding it ‘deeply unfair.’
But Newsom has also balanced his podcast with some liberal guests, such as VP nominee Tim Walz.
Walz and Newsom had a discussion about Trump’s appeal to male voters and the struggles Democrats had with how they were portrayed in the media.
‘I think I scare them a little bit, why they spend so much time on me,’ Walz said, as Newsom burst out laughing.
‘No, I’m serious, because they know I can fix a truck, they know I’m not bulls**ting on this,’ Walz said.
Walz admitted that the Trump campaign convinced voters that Democrats were weak.
‘I saw it from me – and not that I spend too much time thinking about this – and it just baffled me how much time they spent trying to attack me that I was not masculine enough in their vision,’ Walz said.
He recalled the attacks on his masculinity from Republicans during the 2024 election as they mocked the way he waved, used a straw, and made public demonstrations of his hunting and mechanic abilities.
Newsom agreed there was a ‘crisis of men and masculinity in this country’ and that it was an obstacle for Democrats to navigate.
He has even begun visiting conservative parts of his own state to engage with more right-leaning voters and to improve their lives economically.
The California governor launched these campaigns following Trump’s win as it’s largely assumed the 57-year-old will launch a 2028 presidential campaign.
But for now, he’s simply finding his footing among the conservative podcast bros with a measly 2.9-star rating.
This is Gavin Newsom. And, This is his challenge.