Gavin Newsom's podcast reportedly harm public perception of the governor as polls show 26 percent of people's views worsening about him

Gavin Newsom's new podcast, This Is Gavin Newsom, reportedly harmed public perception of the governor. According to the survey published by Capitol Weekly on March 13, 2025, 26 percent of people's views worsened about Newsom after podcast airing.

"The podcast only made 13% of voters have an improved perception of the Governor, with 26% saying that it harmed their perception, and 58% saying it made no difference", the Capitol Weekly survey report stated.

On March 6, 2025, Gavin Newsom launched his This Is Gavin Newsom podcast, . In the first episode, Newsom shared a lengthy discussion with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Following the episode release, Capitol Weekly conducted a survey of 1,000 Californian adults between March 8 and 11. During the survey, the participants watched three selected clips from the podcast, and their reactions were analyzed.

While the first and second clips dealt with simpler issues, the third clip featured Newsom's controversial stance on trans women's participation in sports. According to the March 13 Capitol Weekly Report:

"Sentiment Analysis of the responses ranked the comments on this video as 63% negative, 16% neutral, and 20% positive".

The survey further revealed a decline in Newsom’s public image since only "13% of voters have an improved perception of the Governor" after listening to the podcast, while 26% said it worsened their perception of him.

Before the release of his podcast, Newsom enjoyed a relatively strong favorability rating of "52%" with “very favorable” ratings at 25%, among respondents. However, following his conversation with Kirk, his favorability rating also took a noticeable dip.

"His favorability has dropped to 47%, with his “very favorable” dropping to 18% ", the survey stated.

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Gavin Newsom faces backlash for remarks on trans athletes during the March 6 episode of his podcast

George Clooney, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Senator Laphonza Butler celebrate the second year of The Roybal Film and Television Production School - Source: Getty

Likely contender for the 2028 presidential race, Gavin Newsom, came under fire for his remarks on the March 6 episode of This Is Gavin Newsom podcast.

In the first episode, Newsom discussed the issue of trans women's participation in sports with conservative activist Charlie Kirk. During the discussion, Kirk urged the 57-year-old Democrat to take a stand.

"Would you say no to men in female sports?" Kirk asked.

Newsom agreed with Kirk and added how it was "deeply unfair" for trans women to participate in women's sports.

“I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that … it’s deeply unfair", Newsom said.

Newsom's comments drew immediate criticism from several LGBTQ groups and party members. According to the March 7, 2025 article by The Guardian, the California Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus, issued a statement on March 6, condemning Newsom’s remarks.

"We woke up profoundly sickened and frustrated by these remarks", they stated.

The caucus also pushed back against the notion that trans participation in sports is a problem, stating:

"All students deserve the academic and health benefits of sports activity, and until Donald Trump began obsessing about it, playing on a team consistent with one’s gender has not been a problem since the standard was passed in 2013".

As per The Guardian article, Human Rights Campaign president, Kelley Robinson, also condemned Newsom, emphasizing how leaders who compromise on civil rights, do not find success in national politics.

“The path to 2028 isn’t paved with the betrayal of vulnerable communities—it’s built on the courage to stand up for what’s right and do the hard work to help the American people," Robinson remarked.

A New York Times article dated March 6, 2025, highlighted state senator and fellow Democrat, Scott Wiener’s response to Newsom's statement. Wiener, an openly gay senator from San Francisco, expressed deep disappointment, calling the remarks both a 'personal' and 'political' betrayal.

“It was a gut punch from any Democratic leader, and particularly from Governor Newsom because he has been such a staunch ally for the LGBTQ+ community,” Wiener added.

Despite the mounting criticism, Newsom has not made any further public statements regarding the controversy since the podcast aired.