Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning with Sasha Stone

Episode: Gavin Newsom Doesn't Want to Beat Trump--He Wants to BE Trump

Date: August 20, 2025
Host: Sasha Stone

Episode Overview

In this solo essay-style episode, Sasha Stone explores the rise of Governor Gavin Newsom as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender and analyzes his calculated adoption of MAGA-style political tactics, particularly through social media and meme culture. Stone draws parallels between Newsom and Donald Trump, arguing that Newsom isn’t simply trying to “beat” Trump but to “become” him—adopting his bravado and online presence without truly understanding what made Trump resonant. Woven throughout are Sasha’s personal reflections on class, authenticity, and how the elite cultural left has become unmoored from working-class values. The episode is a critique of the Democratic Party’s current trajectory, the meaning of “wokeness,” and Newsom’s prospects as a national candidate.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Reflections on Class and Virtue Signaling

• [00:35] Sasha opens with a poignant story about working as a janitor—a job inherited from her late father, highlighting the dignity of honest work and the disconnect between the liberal elite and the working class.
• Quote:

  “My dad needed the money, so he went every day on his route, cleaning toilets, washing down countertops, and vacuuming the carpets... I worked as a janitor so I could bring my baby with me. It was honest work...” (01:00)

• She criticizes how the Newsom “meme factory” and left-wing influencers have mocked janitors, equating this disdain with the party’s cultural decline.

2. Gavin Newsom and Meme Politics

• [03:40] Sasha points to Newsom’s adoption of an aggressive, Trump-style social media strategy. She references a specific meme exchange where Newsom’s press office makes fun of Trump supporters and janitors.
• Quote:

  “They think they’re just doing what MAGA does, making fun of people... Except, as usual, the pod people have it wrong. Trump doesn’t make fun of janitors. He doesn’t make fun of gay men.” (05:00)

• Sasha argues that Newsom’s team is merely imitating Trumpist tactics without understanding the populist empathy that drove Trump’s appeal.

3. The “Great Awokening” and Elite Liberal Politics

• [07:00] Citing Bhatia Ungar-Sargon, Stone discusses the “Great Awokening” and how media shifts led white progressives to become more radical on race than the communities they claim to advocate for.
• She questions whether increased rhetoric around “white supremacy” and “privilege” actually reflects reality or just media-driven obsession.
• Quote:

  “Sociologists started to notice a shift... to where white progressives became more extreme in their views on race than Black and Hispanic Americans. They called this... the Great Awokening.” (08:30)

• Sasha admits to previously participating in virtue signaling as a form of self-validation:

  “I know what it is to be among the sneering class. I know what it feels like to be a white savior... because otherwise we were just another white supremacist.” (10:30)

4. The Left’s Failure to Understand Populism

• [12:10] Newsom is compared to a “pick me” villain archetype—a calculated, elite figure, not a genuine populist.
• The left's meme politics are described as out of touch, especially with the working class.
• Quote:

  “You can’t feed your family with memes. They have no plan for the future, no vision, no way of governing the whole country except perhaps to throw half of us into gulags.” (14:40)

5. Polling, Attention Metrics, and the Democratic Primary

• [17:10] Sasha summarizes recent polling and prediction markets showing Newsom’s rising chances for the 2028 nomination, attributing it to his effective attention-getting on social platforms, not genuine leadership.
• Quote from a polling analyst:

  “Since June 1st, up 1300% compared to August 1st. So the bottom line is in politics... it's all about generating attention.” (19:35)

6. Policy Failures & Scandals

• [22:50] Newsom’s weaknesses are outlined:
  • Infamous affair scandal
  • Poor response to critics on gender transition for minors
  • Sanctuary policies leading to criminal cases
  • Damaging COVID shutdowns for small businesses
  • Hypocrisy (French Laundry dinner)
  • Education losses and the $2 billion settlement for California students hurt by lockdowns
• Memorable Quote:

  “He stands for nothing. And in that way, he’s the perfect representative for today’s Democratic Party.” (41:10)

7. Political Branding and Electability

• [37:00] Sasha casts doubt on Newsom’s ability to unite or win over the left’s necessary base: Gen Z, Black voters, and women.
• Critiques the obsession with generating viral moments at the expense of substance.
• Quote:

  “His biggest problem is that he can’t meme his way out of being a white, heteronormative male in a party that supposedly speaks to the marginalized.” (38:40)

• The segment includes comparison to J.D. Vance, emphasizing that genuine struggle and authenticity (as embodied by Vance) are more compelling for voters than Newsom’s elite trajectory.

8. The Broader Loss of Empathy and Working Class Connection

• [41:15] Stone laments the Democratic Party’s loss of working class support and moral purpose.
• Argues that as long as the party mocks and disregards people like janitors, they forfeit moral leadership.
• Quote:

  “No one who makes fun of janitors should ever be President of the United States.” (41:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Newsom’s approach:

  “Gavin Newsom doesn’t want to beat Trump. He wants to BE Trump. His meme factory is the perfect reflection for a party that has hit rock bottom.” (00:10)

• On Trump’s style vs. Newsom’s imitation:

  “They’re depicting the version [of Trump] they see, not the version that exists. They don’t get it that much of what drove Trump’s popularity was empathy.” (16:15)

• On class resentment:

  “They ridicule the lessers beneath them. MAGA, rural Christians, working class. It isn’t about Trump.” (16:55)

• Policy critique:

  “Businesses have taken a lot of loans just to try and stay alive. And here they are being put in a position where a lot of them just aren’t going to be able to continue.” (29:00)

• On Newsom’s lack of authenticity:

  “The hardest work Newsom has ever done is slicking back his hair for a photo op. He survived nothing. He’s built nothing.” (41:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00-04:00 – Introduction; personal janitor story; set-up of cultural class divide
• 04:00-07:00 – Newsom, memes, and media tactics
• 07:00-11:00 – The “Great Awokening” and white liberal radicalism
• 12:00-16:00 – Populism, meme politics, and the working class
• 17:00-20:00 – Newsom’s polling, attention metrics, and Democratic base
• 22:00-31:00 – Newsom’s scandals, policy failures, and impacts on small business & education
• 37:00-42:00 – Electability, demographic challenges, Vance comparison, and final verdict

Overall Tone and Takeaways

Sasha Stone’s tone is frank, introspective, and unsparing—critical of both her former political home on the left and its idolization of figures like Gavin Newsom. The episode mixes memoir, political analysis, and cultural critique, portraying Newsom as an avatar of elite liberalism incapable of winning back the working class or challenging Trumpism on its own terms. Stone sees Newsom’s rise as indicative of a Democratic Party that confuses performance for substance and mocks the people it once championed.