Conservative writer and pundit Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist appeared on FOX News this week and talked about Gavin Newsom’s recent strategy of trying to imitate Trump and why that will not work in the 2028 general election.
She also points out that Newsom and other Democrats keep making the same mistake in taking on Trump, not understanding that one of the main reasons Trump is popular is because people like the policies that he is putting in place.
Newsom is particularly vulnerable on policy because of his record in California, which is all going to be examined if he runs for president.
Transcript via Real Clear Politics:
BRIAN KILMEADE, GUEST HOST: Okay, couple of other things. They laughed at him, Gavin, they’re laughing at you. So do dictators hold conventions to showcase the future of the party? Because that’s what Donald Trump is doing. He’s calling for a mini RNC before the midterms.
Let the fun begin. Editor-in-chief of “The Federalist,” Mollie Hemingway joins us now. Mollie, what do you take of the Gavin Newsom meltdown? It seems very theatrical.
MOLLIE HEMINGWAY, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CONTRIBUTOR: It’s very theatrical, but it lacks substance, and that’s kind of the entire problem that Democrats have right now. They look at how Donald Trump has a lot of popular appeal, Gavin Newsom has been trying to copy his communication style. He says that he’s going to be meaner.
He doesn’t realize, and this is a mistake that a lot of people, critics of Trump have made, whether they’re on left and right, that people support Trump because they like the policies that he is pushing, and until Democrats figure out how to deal with that problem, that the policies that they are pushing are considered very toxic by a lot of Americans, they’re not going to have greater electoral success.
KILMEADE: You know, I just want to show you the polls, though, so people will say, well, Gavin Newsom, he’s not going to make any gains. But so far in this latest poll — POLITICO that put out — Newsom on the Democratic side leads Harris 25 to 19; Mayor Pete is 13; AOC is 10; and Walz at the bottom. Can’t believe he’s even up there.
So your thoughts about Newsom? He’s probably saying, wow, the Dems like me. They really like me. So I’m going to keep this up.
HEMINGWAY: Well, the problem is that what it takes to win the Democrat nomination, he’s got down. He really understands that, and he should. He’s the governor of California, which is a place where a lot of the left-wing base exists, but it’s completely the opposite of what you need to have if you want to win a national election.
Watch the whole thing below:
Mollie Hemingway and Brian Kilmeade discuss Gavin Newsoms’ new strategy of imitating President Trump. @MZHemingway: ” People support Trump because they like the policies that he’s pushing and until Democrats figure out how to deal with that problem, that the policies that they… pic.twitter.com/KV6QqE9z0W
— 3sidedstory (@3sidedstory) August 29, 2025
Newsom is not going to be able to escape his record. The fact that so many people have fled the state of California on his watch speaks for itself.
Read the full article here