POLITICO Nightly: Gavin Newsom’s declaration of independence
By Charlie Mahtesian Presented by the Coalition to Empower Our Future President Donald Trump talks with California Gov. Gavin Newsom after arriving on Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 24, 2025. | Mark Schiefelbein/AP NEWSOM’S NUKE — Gavin Newsom kicked off his new podcast today with a bang. The California governor and prospective presidential candidate broke with Democratic Party orthodoxy on a host of issues , including one of the most polarizing of all — the participation of transgender athletes in female college and youth sports. In his debut podcast episode, Newsom departed from the party line by suggesting that Democrats were wrong to allow transgender athletes to participate in female youth sports, distanced himself from the left’s use of pronouns and the gender-neutral term “Latinx,” called police defunding “lunacy,” and agreed that there had been some questionable practices in the leadership of the Black Lives Matter organ...