Sunny Hostin: Newsom podcast with conservatives 'poor strategy'

Sunny Hostin, co-host of ABC's "The View," tore into California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) over his newly launched podcast, which has served as a platform for discussion between the likely 2028 presidential nominee and some leading conservatives.

"I just think this is a poor strategy for Gavin Newsom," Hostin said on Thursday's edition of the daytime table talk program. "I actually did think that he was one of the leaders that would come out in terms of 2028."

Hostin mentioned watching Newsom's annual State of the State address in California, "and he criticized Republicans and he promoted California as an anecdote to the poisonous populism of the right."

"Now he has a Steve Bannon on the show who’s saying, you know, you’re going to get to populism. There’s a long road. He gives zero pushback there."

Newsom has sparked some pushback from Democrats for hosting figures like Bannon, Charlie Kirk and others on his podcast, widely seen as a way for the California Democrat to raise his profile as the party looks for a presidential nominee in 2028.

Hostin's comments were first highlighted by Mediaite.

"No. I’m terribly disappointed," Hostin said when asked by co-host Joy Behar if she believed in the "let them hang themselves" strategy when dealing with Republicans. "I think you meet energy with energy. He showed his pretty white teeth and cute face and did nothing other than that. And I think it’s despicable."