The Rubin Report: Gavin Newsom Got Visibly Pissed When Ben Shapiro Refused to Back Down on This Question

Host: Dave Rubin
Date: January 19, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Dave Rubin recaps and analyzes Ben Shapiro’s tense interview with California Governor Gavin Newsom, focusing on sharp disagreements over parental rights, transgender issues, and immigration enforcement. Rubin extends the conversation to broader themes of political duplicity among Democrats, rising leftist radicalism, and the state of chaos in cities under progressive leadership. Interspersed with humor, ’80s sitcom references, and cultural commentary, the show connects viral videos and recent political events to illustrate Rubin’s core claim: the slow, deliberate dismantling of American norms.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Ben Shapiro vs. Gavin Newsom Showdown

• Central Debate: Ben Shapiro challenges Newsom on social and cultural issues—especially transgender student policies and parental rights.
• Parental Rights & Trans Issues:
  • Shapiro presses Newsom on why schools shouldn’t be required to inform parents about children’s social transitioning at school.
  • Newsom dodges direct answers about whether "boys can become girls," exemplifying, in Rubin’s view, evasiveness ("chameleon," "lizard person").
• Rubin’s Recap:
  • Suggests Newsom can’t state obvious facts due to progressive ideology:
    • “Just say that there are biological differences between boys and girls, and yet you are sympathetic, let's say, to a male who's going through some sort of gender confusion.”—Dave Rubin [08:22]
  • Notes Newsom "backs out of every prior position," especially immigration and law enforcement.

2. Newsom’s Shiftiness on Immigration and ICE

• ICE and Sanctuary Cities:
  • Newsom’s prior rhetoric ("ICE are terrorists," “Trump’s secret police”) is contrasted with recent statements claiming "California cooperates with ICE."
• Rubin’s Take:
  • "The fact that he's backtracking off his own press office, calling them domestic terrorists... we know that everything he has done as governor has been radically... anti-ICE." [13:16]
  • Video montage is used to demonstrate Newsom’s shifting stances and moral posturing.

3. Democratic Party Radicalism and Policy Hypocrisy

• Rubin’s Broader Critique:
  • Claims Democrats, typified by figures like Newsom, Ilhan Omar, and Rep. Shri Thanedar, are either duplicitous or dangerously ideological.
  • Contrasts current Democratic stances on the border to former positions, referencing a 2008 Barack Obama clip:
    • "We've had 5 million undocumented workers come over the borders since George Bush took office... as president, I will make sure that we finally have the kind of border security we need.” — Barack Obama [49:11]
  • Highlights a tweet (Theo Wold) on how both parties’ positions have flipped since the early 2000s.

4. Notable Segments and Quotes

• Transgender Debate Clip:

  • [22:45] Video of a heated exchange between a female interviewer and a trans activist on women’s sports and gender identity goes viral.
    • Trans activist: "I am not male. I am a woman."
    • Interviewer: "What makes you a woman?"
      "My mind.”
  • Rubin: “If I was to put my wang on this desk… and lop it off and then said, 'Connor, call me Mary,' would that make me a woman? I don’t think so.” [26:13]

• Supreme Court Justice Confusion:

  • Ketanji Brown Jackson’s remarks are played ("people who were girl assigned at birth"), which Rubin excoriates as woke nonsense. [54:32]
  • Rubin: "Not My thoughts. That's Joe Biden's words himself. Here she is still very, very confused about the difference between boys and girls." [54:07]

5. Political Deceit and ‘Shapeshifting’ Politicians

• Rubin repeatedly calls Newsom a "lizard person," "shapeshifter," and "chameleon,"
  • Charges that he adapts messages for whatever audience is present and never sticks to a position.
  • "He will do it, in fact, front of anyone. He is a chameleon. He can blend into any atmosphere that he's in. It's deeply, deeply evil." [16:31]

6. Economic Policy and California’s Decline

• Focus on California:
  • Wealth taxes and anti-business policies are driving billionaires and innovation out of the state.
  • Rubin interviews clips of Rep. Ro Khanna, who downplays waste and fraud, insists on more taxes for the sake of patriotism, and avoids engaging with critics.
    • “You made all your money in California, you ungrateful piece of… you could figure out a way to pay more taxes.” — Kara Swisher (referenced by Rubin) [1:29:03]
• David Friedberg (All-In Podcast) Quote:
  • “The real goal of this is to create for the first time in American history, a private property asset seizure tax and to use that as a money books to take a percentage. Because they're going after the 170 trillion, not the 8 trillion that the billionaires have.” [1:23:42]

7. Fraud and Corruption in Progressive Strongholds

• Somali Money Laundering in Minneapolis:
  • Discussion of ICE raids, activist protests, and the systematic siphoning of government funds.
  • Dr. Mehmet Oz: "Minnesota, which is billions of dollars of fraud that hurts our most vulnerable people... is dwarfed by what I saw in California, which is wholesale cultural malfeasance around health care." [1:37:09]
• Ilhan Omar’s Net Worth Explosion:
  • Will Cain reports Omar’s family net worth rising from $51k to tens of millions, implying rampant corruption (money laundering, political favoritism). [1:35:32]

Most Memorable Quotes

• Rubin on Newsom:
  • “I genuinely think he's the devil incarnate. I think he was sent here to destroy the United States… and get rich while doing it.” [08:08]
• Shapiro to Newsom (Clip):
  • “This is the fundamental question that lies at the root of all of this… which is whether boys can become girls.”
• Rubin (on societal decline):
  • “If we can't stop convicted sex offenders who are illegal, if we can't just kick out illegals who are not citizens… we literally will not exist as a nation. But it won't be that... it will happen slowly, very slowly. And then one day, you will wake up and go, boy, that world that I used to live in… it was a freakin’ dream.” [1:47:09]
• Jordan Peterson Clip:
  • "Things get to terrible places one tiny step at a time... I'm going to encroach right to the point where you start to protest, then I'm going to stop, then I'm going to wait, then I'm going to encroach again..." [1:48:52]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [06:30] – Ben Shapiro confronts Gavin Newsom on trans issues and Newsom’s evasive responses.
• [13:16] – Newsom’s shifting stance on ICE, Sanctuary Cities, and immigration policy.
• [22:45] – Viral clip: street debate over trans women in sports.
• [26:13] – Rubin’s comedic segment: “If I was to put my wang on this desk…”
• [49:11] – 2008 Barack Obama clip on border security.
• [54:07] – Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s “girl assigned at birth” confusion.
• [1:16:42] – Minneapolis unrest, the role of activist footsoldiers, and mayoral complicity.
• [1:23:42] – David Friedberg on true target of wealth tax: the middle class.
• [1:35:32] – Ilhan Omar’s net worth explodes, raising questions of political corruption.
• [1:37:09] – Dr. Oz: “What we’re seeing in Minnesota is the tip of the iceberg...”
• [1:47:09] – Rubin summarizes slow-burning societal decline and loss of norms.
• [1:48:52] – Jordan Peterson on how norms are eroded “one tiny step at a time.”
• [1:52:19] – Closing with the Three’s Company theme song.

Tone and Style Notes

• Sharp, irreverent, and hyperbolic: Rubin uses vivid metaphors ("devil incarnate," "lizard person"), sitcom humor, and direct language.
• Frequent asides and pop culture references: Especially to Three’s Company and recurring tropes about California politics.
• Consistent critique of progressive politics: Framed as not merely misguided but corrupt, incompetent, or intentionally destructive.
• Self-aware, occasionally self-deprecating humor: (“I really could wrap it up right now. I feel like I did everything I need to do.” [11:42])

Summary

For listeners, this episode is a fiery critique of Democratic leadership and progressive culture. Highlighting moments from Ben Shapiro’s interrogation of Gavin Newsom, Rubin paints a picture of a political elite—especially in California and Minnesota—who are dishonest, self-serving, and constitutionally unmoored. Through clips, cultural commentary, and viral video analysis, Rubin argues the slow creep of radical policies and societal erosion, urging vigilance and resistance before foundational American norms are lost for good.

End on a lighter note:
Rubin closes with nostalgia, playing the Three’s Company theme, a metaphorical “rendezvous” in contrast to the current chaos, and an implicit wish for simpler times.