Andy Beshear, the Democratic Kentucky governor, ripped into his California counterpart Gavin Newsom for making nice with Donald Trump’s former White House advisor Steve Bannon in his new podcast.
Newsom recently invited Bannon, host of the far-right podcast War Room, for a conversation described by popular podcast host Kara Swisher as “too chummy” on his podcast “This is Gavin Newsom.”
The California governor has aimed to foster dialogue with prominent MAGA figures, including Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk.
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But Beshear, who has been floated as a presidential contender for 2028, said Newsom made a mistake by hosting Bannon.
“I think that Governor Newsom bringing on different voices is great, we shouldn’t be afraid to talk and to debate just about anyone,” Beshear said at a Democratic policy retreat in Virginia. “But Steve Bannon espouses hatred and anger, and even at some points violence, and I don’t think we should give him oxygen on any platform, ever, anywhere.”
In the hour-long podcast, Newsom and Bannon dived into an array of topics, including the unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The Democratic governor also probed Bannon on his rocky relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk.
In an emailed statement to Politico on Wednesday, Newsom defended his interview with Bannon, emphasizing the importance of understanding Trump’s movement and analyzing how it managed to succeed in previous campaigns.
“I think we all agreed after the last election that it’s important for Democrats to explore new and unique ways of talking to people,” Newsom said.
Former GOP Representative Adam Kinzinger also tore into “the stupidity” of Newsom for inviting Bannon on his podcast.
“Many of us on the right sacrificed careers to fight Bannon, and Newsom is trying to make a career and a presidential run by building him up,” he wrote in a social media post. “Unforgivable and insane.”
Newsom plans to host Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on his next podcast episode.
