California Gov. Gavin Newsom invited conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk as the inaugural guest on his podcast, This Is Gavin Newsom, which launched in March. The biggest takeaway from the episode was the governor’s agreement with Kirk that it was “deeply unfair” for transgender women, aka biological men, to compete in women’s sports. Newsom’s stunning departure from Leftist ideology made national headlines.
Referencing transgender athlete AB Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School in California, who just days earlier had won a girls’ triple jump event by an astounding eight feet, Kirk told Newsom:
So like you right now should come out and be like, ‘You know what, the young man who’s about to win the state championship in the long jump in female sports, that shouldn’t happen.’ You as the governor should step out and say no.
Fully aware of the hornet’s nest his comments would stir, Newsom made a valiant effort to thread the needle.
Well, it’s I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. … It’s easy to call out the unfairness of that. There’s also a humility and a grace. You know that these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression and the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with as well. So both things I can hold in my hand. How can we address this issue with the kind of decency that I think you know it’s inherent in you?
Regardless of his attempt to reach a delicate middle ground, Newsom had said what he said.
Last week, Hernandez won CIF titles in the girls’ long jump and triple jump categories during the Southern Section track and field finals. Hernandez will advance to the state championships—an honor now out of reach for the girls who spent years training for a chance at winning valuable and prestigious scholarships.
In a Saturday night post on X, conservative star Megyn Kelly pleaded with Newsom to act. She wrote: “@GavinNewsom – I’m begging you, begging you to please do something to protect these girls. They have the right to feel the glorious joy of winning. The confidence that comes to a girl from giving everything & being FIRST. Pls – you know this.”
In preparation for a 2028 presidential run, Newsom has been trying to distance himself from his long history of far-left positions. Hernandez’s wins will force him to take a stand, one way or another.
So far, Newsom has remained silent. But sooner or later, he’ll be obliged to take a stand on this issue because, as he said, it is so “deeply unfair.”
X users overwhelmingly agreed with Kelly.
Having campaigned exclusively in deep-blue California, Newsom is now confronting his first real taste of what a general election entails. He should bear in mind that his party is on the losing end of an 80-20 issue.
In early February, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order keeping men out of women’s sports. Unfortunately, one month later, Senate Democrats voted unanimously to block a Republican-sponsored bill aimed at preventing federally funded schools from allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports. In a 51-45 party-line vote, Democrats filibustered the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, which needed 60 votes to advance.
We’ll wait to hear Newsom’s response.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn or X.
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