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Joanna Coles
Welcome Daily Beast podcast listeners. I'm Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer, and as you may have heard, we've moved to keep hearing all new episodes of this show. Search for the Daily Beast podcast wherever you get your podcasts, and please tap to subscribe or just click the link in our show notes for a taste of what you'll get when you subscribe. Here's a few minutes of today's episode, but to hear the rest, you have to follow us in our new home. Don't ask. It's too confusing. Just trust us. I'm Joanna Coles, the Chief content Officer of the Daily Beast. Welcome to our podcast. The president has asked for him to the leader of the House has demanded he be tarred and feathered. Today we are talking to the man at the center of the action, the California governor, the Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who's been fending off Trump's overreach, bringing in 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to quell the rioting over the ICE incursions in downtown LA. Let's get straight to it. And we start with the sad news of Brian Wilson, actually the ultimate Californian beach boy.
Gavin Newsom
I'm not aware of that. So I'm the first to hear. And as a proud Californian, fifth generation, you know, you think of the sort of nature of iconic characters, people that define generations and define the greatness of the state. I'm sorry to hear that.
Joanna Coles
Oh, well, I'm so sorry to break the news to you without it just seemed like the ultimate Californian. Actually any.
Gavin Newsom
God bless. God bless his family and all my best to them. Yeah.
Joanna Coles
And what an extraordinary sort of different place California finds itself in. Now, I wanted to start by asking you that. At the beginning of the year, you were shaking hands with Donald Trump. You had Steve Bannon on your podcast, you had Charlie Kirk on your podcast. And now the president is suggesting that you be arrested. The leader of the House is saying you should be tarred and feathered. They brought in 4,000 National Guards and the Marines over your head. I mean, some people I think, are looking at this and thinking that you've been played by the president.
Gavin Newsom
Well, no, you forgot he suggested I should be arrested as well. And let me add to the fuel to your question and had Newt Gingrich on the podcast a few days ago and Dr. Phil. So no, I have no problem having an open hand in reaching out to other people. It's who I am. And I'm looking forward to continuing in that posture. I'm not someone that looks to put a crowbar in the spokes of the wheels of other parties or people that agree or disagree with me. By the way, Newt Gingrich was one of the co chairs of my recall campaign. And so I'll continue to engage people. I'll continue to try to learn from people I disagree with. It's who I am. I try not to be disagreeable, but I'll stand my ground and I'll stand it firmly. And we're doing that now against Donald Trump.
Joanna Coles
What do you think Donald Trump's plan is here? What's his end game?
Gavin Newsom
Power, dominance, control. He doesn't believe in the rule of law. He doesn't believe in co equal independent branches of government. He doesn't believe in the enduring principles of our founding father. Doesn't believe in popular sovereignty. He's someone that will use violence if it services his goals. January 6th, the perfect example of that. He'll demagogue those he disagrees with, belittle them, talks down to them. He's a bully. But he's also, you know, he's a flim flammer in the vernacular. He's a carny. He's the music man. He's A bullshit artist is what he is, but he happens to be President of the United States. I revere the office of presidency. That's why I talked to him for 20 minutes a few nights ago and had a very cordial conversation. Hours later he referred to me as new scum. And a day later he talked about my arrest. That's Donald Trump in a nutshell.
Joanna Coles
What do you think would happen if they did arrest Steve?
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Joanna Coles
I mean, Greta Thunberg's just been arrested and she was on the the front pages of all the newspapers. I mean, actually, would it be good for you if he arrested you?
Gavin Newsom
No, it' good for any. It's not good for our democracy. Just even the threat of it. It's not good for any of us. We got to bring this country together. Back to the spirit of your opening question about the podcast. You know, we all want to be loved. We all need to be loved. We all need to be protected, connected and respected. I don't like talking down to people, past people. You know, I just think we've got to soften the edges here. Now he's doing everything to do the opposite. And so we can't roll over. We've got to be firm and resolved. We are firm and resolved. We're watching our democracy. We're watching this extraordinary place being destroyed in real time in 141 days. We have seen things we couldn't even imagine in our lifetimes. The erosion not just of trust and truth, but information and attack on knowledge across the board culture. We've seen this cultural purge. I mean, there's so much weakness coming out of the Pentagon now with Pete Headset. He can't even handle the fact that West Point heroes, these extraordinarily young cadets that they can access a Toni Morrison book or James Baldwin book, they're quite literally censoring historic facts. So it's an extraordinary time in US History and we're going to push back.
Joanna Coles
Right. I understand the sort of cultural issues going on. You have, I think, two and a half million undocumented people in California. California. The economy relies on them. They wash dishes, they work in garages, they work in the fields. I wanted to ask you a how you thought. Well, let me ask this as a two part question. First of all, this can't have come as a surprise to you, ICE moving in like this. The majority of those undocumented people live in la. So this is not a surprise. You must have been planning for it. What is your plan to deal with ICE and to deal with the National Guard that have been sent in to cope with the rioters. And is the courts your only plan? Is that all there is, the courts?
Gavin Newsom
Let me break your question. Really two parts of the question. Yes, we did prepare for this. In fact, I was the, I think, first and only governor in the United States right after Donald Trump was elected to call a special session of my legislature in anticipation of this moment. And let me bear fruit to that assertion that not only did we do that, but it was a successful special session that included tens of millions of dollars for litigation, but also tens of millions of dollars for rapid response networks and legal aid for our undocumented community. Those dollars are being utilized. We've certainly asserted ourselves from a legal posture over two dozen now lawsuits against the Trump administration. And yes, one of those lawsuits was filed just a few days ago under the Title 10 authority and this 12406 statute. And the notion that you can Deploy, quote, unquote, 700 active Marines to do domestic law enforcement. We are asserting the president does not have that legal right. And we have a hearing tomorrow with a federal judge at 1:30pm and we're going to make our case demanding that there be a temporary restraining order, basically stopping the president until he advances an appropriate legal theory.
Joanna Coles
There are people who are saying that you should have been able to stop the rioting in LA itself, that what we're seeing here is the militarizing of, of policing in the state, which may become a tool of the Trump administration. But there's also a concern, I think, that Democrats have lost the plot when it comes to law and order. And that when you see people stoning police cars or you see people setting cars alight, that the local police or you should have called in the National Guard to take care of people's property.
Gavin Newsom
Well, you're confusing me with someone. I'm not. I've never been one of the defund police Democrats. I've been very explicit about calling out those acts, those criminal acts. And last night we had another 227 arrests. I've deployed the National Guard on multiple occasions. Let me now bear more fruit to that claim as well. Since becoming governor of California, I put the National Guard down at the border. I just deployed roughly 3,000 National Guard men and women as it relates to the fires here in Los Angeles. They were actually here pre deployed even before the first sparks of the fire. Our rattlesnake teams, which, by the way, three quarters of our rattlesnake teams, which are teams that do vegetation and forest management to protect us from wildfires that were mission tasked by my office, three quarters of those teams now have been redeployed to Los Angeles. We have National Guard men and women that are literally being taken off the streets doing police work in their local police agencies. California has one of the largest and most robust mutual aid systems for local law enforcement in the nation, with more than adequate number of local law enforcement that can handle these incidences. We deal with civil unrest all the time. And there was more than enough resources at our disposal. We did not need the National Guard. And let me just underscore that you've got about 100 tops, and it's 50 to 100 National Guard men and women that surround the federal building downtown last night. I had 1,600, not just me. I'm not the mayor of California, I'm the governor, but I had 700 CHP officers. Our SRT teams, which are trained for this kind of civil unrest. 1600 were there, and many of them were protecting the National Guard themselves that again, have been pulled off the border, pulled out of protecting us from next year's wildfire season, and pulled away from their local police duties in their community for the theatrics that are coming from the Trump administration. So I completely reject the premise that we're not foundationally focused on law and order and public safety. Quite the contrary. And I'll just add to that because I think it's important this state significantly increased $1.1 billion support for local law enforcement agencies in the last number of years because the seriousness of purpose that we place on protecting the public.
Joanna Coles
Well, we hope you enjoyed your sneak peek of this week's episode. Don't forget, subscribe to us on your favorite podcast. Appreciate Just search the Daily Beast podcast, then tap to subscribe or click the link in our show notes below.
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Gavin Newsom
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Podcast Summary: A Message for Our Loyal Listeners
The Daily Beast Podcast (Season 1)
Release Date: June 11, 2025
Hosts: Joanna Coles and Samantha Bee
Featured Guest: Gavin Newsom, Governor of California
In the episode titled "A Message for Our Loyal Listeners," hosts Joanna Coles and Samantha Bee engage in a compelling conversation with California Governor Gavin Newsom. The discussion delves into the tumultuous political climate, Governor Newsom's interactions with former President Donald Trump, and the recent deployment of National Guard and Marine forces in Los Angeles to address rioting associated with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) actions.
The episode opens with Joanna Coles sharing the sad news of Brian Wilson's passing, whom she describes as "the ultimate Californian beach boy." Governor Newsom expresses his condolences, highlighting Wilson's significance to California's cultural heritage.
Joanna Coles [03:07]: "That's the ultimate Californian. Actually any."
Gavin Newsom [03:24]: "God bless his family and all my best to them."
Coles shifts the conversation to Governor Newsom's recent interactions with high-profile political figures, including former President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, and Charlie Kirk. She points out the stark contrast between these engagements and the current threats against Newsom's leadership.
Joanna Coles [03:35]: "The president is suggesting that you be arrested... Some people think you've been played by the president."
Governor Newsom defends his approach to engaging with diverse voices, emphasizing his commitment to open dialogue and opposing divisive tactics.
Gavin Newsom [04:11]: "I have no problem having an open hand in reaching out to other people... I'll continue to engage people. I'll continue to try to learn from people I disagree with."
He critiques Trump's leadership style, characterizing him as a "bully" and a "bullshit artist," while distinguishing the office of the presidency from the individual holding it.
Gavin Newsom [05:03]: "He doesn't believe in the rule of law... He's A bullshit artist is what he is, but he happens to be President of the United States."
The discussion intensifies as Coles brings up the possibility of Newsom being arrested, paralleling the recent arrest of environmental activist Greta Thunberg. Newsom vehemently opposes such actions, framing them as detrimental to democracy.
Gavin Newsom [07:35]: "It's not good for our democracy. Just even the threat of it. We've got to bring this country together."
He emphasizes the necessity of maintaining democratic principles and the importance of protecting truth and knowledge amidst cultural and political upheaval.
A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the recent deployment of 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines in Los Angeles due to ICE's actions against the undocumented population. Coles questions whether the militarization of policing reflects a broader issue within Democratic law and order policies.
Joanna Coles [11:10]: "There's a concern... when you see people stoning police cars... local police should have called in the National Guard."
Governor Newsom responds by clarifying his administration's position on law enforcement and the strategic deployment of resources. He outlines the proactive measures taken, including a special legislative session that secured substantial funding for litigation and legal aid to support the undocumented community.
Gavin Newsom [09:46]: "We prepared for this... a successful special session that included tens of millions of dollars for litigation... and legal aid for our undocumented community."
He disputes claims that Democrats have abandoned law and order, detailing the extensive use of local law enforcement and selective deployment of the National Guard to manage specific situations without overreliance.
Gavin Newsom [11:54]: "We've put down the National Guard at the border and for wildfires... We have more than adequate local law enforcement to handle these incidents."
Moreover, Newsom highlights his administration's significant financial support for law enforcement agencies, reinforcing his commitment to public safety.
Gavin Newsom [14:28]: "This state significantly increased $1.1 billion support for local law enforcement agencies... protecting the public."
Governor Newsom elaborates on the legal actions taken to challenge the federal government's deployment of military forces for domestic law enforcement, citing over two dozen lawsuits filed against the Trump administration. He underscores the importance of upholding the rule of law and maintaining the separation of powers within the government.
Gavin Newsom [09:46]: "We are asserting the president does not have that legal right... demanding that there be a temporary restraining order."
As the episode concludes, Newsom reiterates his administration's resolve to protect democracy and ensure public safety. He expresses determination to counteract efforts that threaten the nation's foundational principles and emphasizes the collective responsibility to foster unity and resilience in challenging times.
Gavin Newsom [07:35]: "We've got to bring this country together... we're going to push back."
This episode of The Daily Beast Podcast provides an in-depth look into Governor Gavin Newsom's strategies and perspectives amidst heightened political tensions and societal challenges in California. By addressing topics ranging from political adversaries and legal battles to law enforcement and immigration, Newsom offers listeners a comprehensive understanding of the complexities faced by state leadership in maintaining order and upholding democratic values.
Notable Quotes with Timestamps:
Note: Advertisements and non-content segments have been excluded from this summary to focus solely on the substantive discussions between Joanna Coles and Governor Gavin Newsom.