Gavin Newsom Tells Bill Maher ‘the Democratic Brand Is Toxic Right Now’ Because of ‘Cancel Culture’ | Video

10 days after polls showed that his new podcast kind of backfired, Gavin Newsom told Bill Maher “the Democratic brand is toxic right” — because of cancel culture.

In his interview at the top of Friday’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” the California governor also called for the party to rebrand.

Newsom has been on the defensive since launching “This Is Gavin Newsom” in late February, the first few episodes of which featured him having friendly conversations with right wing figures like Charlie Kirk and Steve Banon. He was widely criticized (and mocked) for agreeing with Kirk’s views on transgender athletes, and not even bothering to push back when Banon yet again lied that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.

Since then, polls have shown that the podcast actually did significant damage to Newsom’s popularity, particularly with Democrats he would need to win a hypothetical primary. And even Kirk later dunked on him over that.

Speaking to Maher, Newsom called that reaction “interesting.”

“I mean, this idea that we can’t even have a conversation with the other side — you have to,” he said. “They won.”

“That’s it, the bottom line. And by the way, or the notion we just have to continue to talk to ourselves or we’re in the same damn echo chamber,” he continued. “These guys are crushing us. The Democratic brand is toxic right now.”

During that conversation, both men also agreed with Sen. John Fetterman’s assertion that Democrats will become a “permanent minority” without serious reform.

Newsom took the opportunity to plug his podcast and added that he believes “having the opportunity to dialogue with people I disagree with” is a chance “to try to find common ground and not take cheap shots.” The Democrats, he continued, “tend to be a little more judgmental than we should be.”

“This notion of cancel culture, you’ve been living it, you’ve been on the receiving end of it,” Newsom told Maher. “For years and years and years … Democrats need to own up to that. They’ve got to mature.”

Watch the clip from “Real Time” in the video above.

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