Staff Reports
California Governor Gavin Newsom, eyeing a potential 2028 presidential bid, stunned audiences at the New York Times DealBook Summit by urging Democrats to become "more culturally normal." In a candid interview, Newsom admitted the party must dial back its judgmental tone and embrace a broader appeal to everyday Americans alienated by fringe cultural obsessions. This rare moment of self-reflection comes as Newsom leads early Democratic primary polls, signaling his calculated repositioning after his party's crushing 2024 defeat.
Newsom's call for normalcy strikes at the heart of Democratic excesses that have repelled working-class voters for years. He didn't spell out specifics, but his recent podcast rants against mandatory pronouns and the contrived term "Latinx"—which he once embraced—hint at a backlash against woke overreach. Conservatives have long warned that such elitist posturing on identity politics distracts from bread-and-butter issues like border security and economic stagnation, issues where Democrats' open-borders chaos and regulatory chokeholds have fueled national discontent.
Gavin Newsom: Democrats need to be more "culturally normal."
Maybe start by not sitting like that ever again. pic.twitter.com/sWVZtap94Q
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) December 4, 2025
Even on hot-button social matters, Newsom has dipped into common-sense territory, decrying men invading women's sports as absurd—a position that aligns with what most Americans instinctively support. Yet his rhetoric rings hollow against California's spiraling homelessness, skyrocketing crime, and exodus of businesses fleeing high taxes and mandates. True normalcy would mean ditching sanctuary state policies that invite chaos and prioritizing law-abiding citizens over illegal immigrants.
Economically, Newsom's push to "democratize" the economy reeks of the same big-government socialism that tanked his state, with soaring gas prices, housing shortages, and a $68 billion deficit. Phrases like that mask a preference for wealth redistribution over unleashing free enterprise, the real engine of American prosperity that President Trump champions. Voters see through the spin: California's model is a failed experiment, not a blueprint for victory.
Newsom's pivot may win him applause in Manhattan salons, but real change demands actions, not words—securing borders, slashing regulations, and respecting parental rights in schools. Until Democrats confront their radical wing and embrace the values that built this nation, they'll remain sidelined. Newsom's summit soundbite is a start, but America demands leaders who deliver freedom, not just perform moderation for the cameras.
