Beshear calls out California’s Gavin Newsom’s decision to host conservative firebrand on podcast
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called out California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to host a conservative ally of President Donald Trump on his podcast recently, according to Politico.
Beshear was at a Democratic policy retreat in Virginia Thursday when he was asked about the podcast between Newsom and Steve Bannon, a conspiracy theorist who is one of Trump’s most ardent supporters.
“I think that Gov. Newsom bringing on different voices is great. We shouldn’t be afraid to talk and to debate just about anyone,” Beshear told reporters at the retreat, according to Politico.
“But Steve Bannon espouses hatred and anger, and even at some points, violence, and I don’t think we should give him oxygen on any platform, ever, anywhere.”
Bannon is a former chief strategist for Trump during his first administration. He was dismissed after a few months on the job and returned to work as the executive chairman at Breitbart News.
The uber-conservative influencer served a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from a Congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Bannon was convicted in July 2022, on two counts of contempt of Congress and was sentenced to four months at a Connecticut prison. He was indicted after refusing to comply with subpoenas from House Jan. 6 select committee investigators seeking his communications with President Trump following the 2020 presidential election.
Bannon is now the host of the “War Room: Pandemic” podcast, where he shares conspiracy theories about a wide-range of topics, including election fraud and COVID-19, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The podcast has over 180,000 followers on Instagram and about 176,000 followers on X.
Politico reported Newsom recently launched his podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom,” and has already recorded episodes with conservative figures, including Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA, Dr. Michael Savage and now Bannon.
Newsom and Bannon talked about numerous topics, including economic policy, tax cuts, tariffs and Elon Musk, according to CNN.
Newsom defended his decision to host Bannon for an episode, saying it’s “critically important” to learn how Trump successfully won a second term.
Other political figures sided with Beshear and criticized Newsom’s inclusion of Bannon.
“I am in shock at the stupidity of [Newsom] inviting Steve Bannon on his podcast,” said Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois who served in the US House from 2011-2023. He was on the House Jan. 6 committee and harshly criticized Trump and his supporters for the insurrection at the US Capitol that day in 2021.
Kinzinger was blasted by conservative Republicans and decided to not seek reelection.
“Many of us on the right sacrificed careers to fight Bannon, and Newsom is trying to make a career and a presidential run by building him up, Politico quoted Kinzinger.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 8:17 AM.
