California Governor Gavin Newsom is breaking through like no other Democrat. This is partly because he’s forging ahead with a state gerrymander to add five Democratic House seats, countering President Trump’s rigging of Texas. But we think there are deeper reasons Newsom is cutting through the noise. These were on display when Newsom recently issued a stark warning about Trump’s long-term intentions. Newsom connected numerous dots to offer a takedown of Trump that laid bare the full scope of his ongoing authoritarian takeover in a way other Democrats rarely do. We talked to Will Stancil, a policy researcher and attorney who has developed an interesting analysis of the Democratic Party on social media. We discussed what makes Newsom’s approach different, how he’s attempting to solve the party’s struggles in the information wars, and why it offers the beginnings of an approach for the party to adopt amid Trump’s imposition of authoritarian rule. Listen to this episode here.
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Gavin Newsom’s Harsh New Trump Takedown Should Alarm Dems: “Wake Up!”
As Newsom escalates his warnings about Trump, a critic of Democratic Party failures explains how Newsom is offering a new approach to the info-wars—and why it hints at an answer to MAGA authoritarianism.

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California Governor Gavin Newsom in Los Angeles on August 14, 2025