Podcast Summary: "This is Gavin Newsom"

Episode: "And, This Is A Look Back At The Biggest Moments of 2025"

Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Gavin Newsom
Producer: iHeartPodcasts

Overview

In this reflective year-end episode, Governor Gavin Newsom revisits pivotal conversations from the 2025 season of his podcast. Featuring memorable exchanges with a range of thought leaders—spanning polarizing conservative voices like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon, to cultural commentators like Scott Galloway, streamer Atrioc, and Ben Meiselas from Midas Touch—the episode explores the turbulent sociopolitical landscape, challenges within the Democratic Party, gender and generational dynamics, economic disillusionment, and the evolution of political communication. Newsom leans into honest, unsanitized dialogue about the future of American democracy, civic discourse, and media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Value of Risky, Unscripted Political Conversations

(Segment: 03:39–06:20)

• Charlie Kirk's Critique of Democrats in New Media:

  • Kirk contends Democrats avoid long-form, unscripted media, missing chances to genuinely connect and "duel it out" in authentic, vulnerable ways.

  • He links the podcast format to "masculinity," describing it as a test of intellectual and emotional mettle, a place with "no script, no hard breaks, no producers in the ear."

  • Memorable moment: Newsom laughs at Kirk's claim, but ultimately agrees on the need for Democrats to venture into challenging territory.

    "For the health of the country, it would be great to change, is that Democrats cannot survive in long form podcasting environments. It's too unscripted. It's too masculine, honestly."
    — Charlie Kirk (04:31)

• Blurring Culture and Politics:

  • Kirk asserts that politics and culture are now "indecipherable" and that figures like Trump have achieved a cultural status Democrats struggle to match.

    "Politics is downstream from culture. I think politics and culture are indecipherable from one another now."
    — Charlie Kirk (05:53)

2. Surprising Policy Consensus: Steve Bannon on Taxation

(Segment: 06:20–07:35)

• Bannon Endorses Progressive Taxation:

  • In a revealing moment, Steve Bannon discusses advocating for higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy—drawing parallels to California’s progressive tax policies.

  • Newsom notes the irony and convergence between Bannon’s position and California’s approach, highlighting shifting alignments over economic fairness.

    "You're arguing for a little higher tax rate, which I appreciate, in the corporate tax side. I don't know if it's completely dissimilar [to California]. I don't want to get you in trouble."
    — Gavin Newsom to Steve Bannon (07:35)

3. Masculinity, Youth, and the Algorithmic Age

(Segment: 08:04–10:16)

• Scott Galloway on Young Men’s Crisis:

  • Galloway details how powerful tech companies successfully replace real-world milestones (dating, working, friendship) with digital surrogates, stunting social and emotional growth.

  • He presents a startling statistic: "51% of American men 18–24 have never asked a woman out in person," noting women’s authentic reactions in-studio.

  • Galloway warns America has "fallen out of love with the unremarkable," pushing unattainable excellence rather than broad-based opportunity, resulting in a crisis for young men.

    "Young men are being targeted by the deepest pocketed, most talented organizations in the world... to give them a reasonable facsimile of life on a screen."
    — Scott Galloway (08:04)

    "Back in the 80s, America loved unremarkable people. And it feels as if America has fallen out of love with the unremarkable."
    — Scott Galloway (09:20)

4. Economic Disillusionment and Radicalization of the Young

(Segment: 10:16–11:53)

• Atrioc on Housing and Generational Nihilism:

  • Atrioc describes how economic barriers—especially the impossibility of affording housing—fuel disillusionment and radicalization.

  • He argues the lack of a plausible path to homeownership severs young people’s societal ties and faith in the future.

    "Radicalism is when no house—if you can’t get a house, if you don’t see a path to get a house..."
    — Atrioc (10:58)

    "If once you feel like you can get on that ladder, you’re okay... But if you can’t see that, it’s, what’s the point? Why am I doing it?"
    — Atrioc (11:36)

5. Democratic Party: Battling Perceptions, Inspiring Fight

(Segment: 11:53–14:33)

• Newsom and Ben Meiselas on Political Momentum:

  • Reflecting on the year’s dramatic events (e.g., federalizing the National Guard, ICE operations, government shutdown), Newsom and Meiselas argue that displays of moral and tactical fight have reinvigorated Democratic support.

  • Meiselas says numbers for Democrats rose only after the public saw them "fighting" rather than being passive or losing.

    "His [Trump's] conduct is conscious, shocking. And so when people wake up and they're being disappeared by ICE... living paycheck to paycheck. And people aren't acting with an urgency. They're pissed."
    — Ben Meiselas (12:31)

    "They [numbers] were low because they didn't see people fighting for them. Not because they were unpopular. They were low because they lost. And people don't like losers... That was the issue."
    — Ben Meiselas (12:52)

• Renewed Approaches: Listening and Empathy:

  • Newsom highlights the rise of new leaders—like Mamdani in New York—who practice radical listening, engage directly, and leverage media savvy. The recipe for revitalizing politics, he says, is empathy and collaboration, not just dominance.

    "It's not about power, dominance and aggression. It's about empathy. It's about compassion. It's about collaboration. Those are the superpower."
    — Gavin Newsom (14:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Democrats cannot survive in long form podcasting environments. It's too unscripted. It's too masculine, honestly."
  — Charlie Kirk (04:31)
• "I think politics and culture are indecipherable from one another now."
  — Charlie Kirk (05:53)
• "Young men are being targeted by the deepest pocketed, most talented organizations in the world."
  — Scott Galloway (08:04)
• "51% of American men aged 18–24 have never asked a woman out in person."
  — Scott Galloway (08:58)
• "Radicalism is when no house—if you can't get a house, if you don't see a path to get a house."
  — Atrioc (10:58)
• "They were low because they didn't see people fighting for them... People don't like losers."
  — Ben Meiselas (12:52)
• "It's about empathy. It's about compassion. It's about collaboration. Those are the superpower."
  — Gavin Newsom (14:44)

Timeline of Important Segments

• 03:39 — Reflections on Charlie Kirk episode, Democrats and podcasts
• 04:31–06:20 — Debate: Democrats in long-form media, masculinity in podcasting (Charlie Kirk)
• 06:20–07:35 — Steve Bannon on raising taxes for the rich & convergence with CA policy
• 08:04–10:16 — Scott Galloway: Masculinity, algorithms, and young men’s crisis
• 10:16–11:53 — Atrioc: Housing, economic despair, and youth radicalization
• 11:53–14:33 — Democratic renewal: urgency, fight, and new leadership (Ben Meiselas)
• 14:44 — Newsom’s closing thoughts on empathy, collaboration, and future plans

Tone & Style

Gavin Newsom is candid, reflective, and conversational throughout—open to critique and eager to foster raw, sometimes uncomfortable honesty. His guests, whether adversarial or allied, are direct and substantive, producing genuine, thought-provoking exchanges.

Conclusion

This episode distills the most challenging, illuminating dialogues from the 2025 season of "This is Gavin Newsom." Through spirited debate and critical self-examination, Newsom and his guests grapple with the crucial issues shaping America’s present and future: political communication, economic disillusionment, masculinity, and the need for empathetic, daring leadership.

For suggested guests or topics, listeners are encouraged to engage with the show. Subscribe for in-depth, unfiltered conversations heading into 2026.