Gavin Newsom's new podcast is cringey and a needless diversion

Gavin Newsom’s first podcast episode, with MAGA provocateur Charlie Kirk, right, was cringey and awkward. Regardless, “This is Gavin Newsom” is now a thing, which should not to be mistaken for another of his extracurricular activities, “Politickin.’ ” That gig features Newsom, former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and sports agent Doug Hendrickson in yet another podcast feedin’ the hunger of those with a bottomless appetite for the state’s voluble chief executive. Announcin’ his latest moonlighting endeavor, Newsom told reporters, “I want to engage people that often I engage with in private and make public those conversations.” That generosity and willingness to share has yet to extend to Newsom’s breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, his step count or daily hygiene, as the governor’s kindness seems to know at least some bounds. “I agree,” Newsom said when Savage related a trip on Air Force One during which he was served a hot dog, suggesting Trump was actually a “very sensitive guy to other people.” Never mind the insults the puerile president constantly dishes out, the demeaning nicknames he assigns — like “Newscum” — or the president’s heartless approach to governing. Newsom was somewhat less supine in the show’s third edition — one wonders how much time he’s devoting to his day job — featuring the MAGA mastermind Steve Bannon.