“We already know what our disagreements are with the MAGA movement. I want to understand what the motivations are, the legitimacy of those motivations, and just really understand where people are coming from,” Newsom said. “They are influential — they are. They explain more things in more ways on more days about what’s going on and if we’re not trying to understand their motivations, we will be victims of their motivations.”
Newsom, a student of the right-wing ecosystem who is both fascinated and distressed by its ability to elevate subjects into the mainstream, mentioned his regular appearances on Fox News, Newsmax and other conservative outlets. He
debated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in late 2023, moderated by Fox’s Sean Hannity, who remains in regular touch with Newsom. He ran a series of TV ads in red states over the last two years calling attention to their anti-abortion laws.
But his show, premiering in the coming weeks, won’t be confined to crashing the ascendent right-wing.
“At the same time, I want Democrats to come on and sort of challenge where we are on a lot of these issues,” Newsom said. “And so I’m asking the same questions you’re asking of me: Where the hell is the Democratic Party? What are we doing? Who are we? Where are we going? What’s the path back? I’m having the exact same conversations, and I just thought it’d be a hell of a lot more interesting to do it publicly and to do it as honestly as I can.”
