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U.S.|Newsom Tries to Understand ‘Bro Culture.’ Will It Change Him in the Process?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/12/us/newsom-podcast-bro-culture-democrats.html
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California’s governor has diagnosed one problem for Democrats — connecting with young men — and he sees his podcast as a way to address that. Other Democrats aren’t so sure.
April 12, 2025, 5:01 a.m. ET
It was a surprising revelation at the start of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new podcast. His son had become a fan of Charlie Kirk, the right-wing influencer who mobilized young voters for Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, said that 13-year-old Hunter was such an admirer that he argued his father should let him attend the taping with Mr. Kirk. “‘What time? What time is Charlie going to be here?’” Mr. Newsom recounted his son saying at bedtime. “And I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re in school tomorrow.’”
That Mr. Kirk had captivated the son of a leading Democrat and a feminist documentarian, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, was an indication of just how popular conservative podcasters had become with young men.
Many expected Mr. Newsom to respond to Mr. Trump’s presidential victory by seizing the mantle as the voice of the resistance. Instead, he has become a different kind of voice entirely — the one on the podcast.
The governor has been using his new platform to explore what Democrats need to do to win back young men. Along the way, he has tried to charm far-right figures, angering many in his own party and inspiring critiques that he’s attempting to remake his image as a member of the liberal elite with well-coifed hair as he eyes a potential run for president in 2028.
The first three guests on Mr. Newsom’s show — officially titled “This Is Gavin Newsom” — were conservative men who have enraged Democrats in the past. Besides Mr. Kirk, who has criticized gay marriage and diversity programs, there was also Steve Bannon, an architect of the MAGA movement, and Michael Savage, a conservative talk show firebrand.
