Gavin Newsom’s 24/7 social media machine
These days you can find Gov. Gavin Newsom on just about any media platform.
With less than three months until he finishes his final term as California governor, you can catch Newsom on X picking fights with right-wing media, posting on Substack and interviewing guests on his podcast.
As a potential 2028 presidential hopeful, he’s become one of the Democratic Party’s most prolific communicators, reports CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang. It’s mostly on his own terms: Newsom, in his second term, rarely takes questions directly from the media in Sacramento and his agencies have responded less to press inquiries and interview requests.
His 24-person press and communications team operates as an around-the-clock, content-creating machine. It includes a dedicated photographer for “visual messaging,” staff who scout locations for events, camera operators who livestream the events and four pop-culture-savvy Gen Z digital staffers who churn out memes and social media content. (In January 2020, a year into his first term, the team consisted of only 12 people).
To critics, Newsom’s press strategy can blur ethical lines. He is using his office “to basically run a political account” in ways that mirror how President Donald Trump treats his political opponents and the press, said Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist and former spokesperson for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Newsom’s office tells conservative writers they are not “real journalists.” His social media posts include AI-generated memes boosting Newsom or taunting Republicans. And when Republican-turned-independent Kevin Kiley responded that he criticized Trump’s recent remark about letting Iran “take out” L.A. and San Diego, Newsom’s office wrote it was insufficient and replied, “You’re a weak little noodle.”
- Stutzman: “Trump has changed the norms. And Newsom, his operation basically adopted the Trump playbook.”
