Adam Kinzinger blasts ‘unforgivable and insane’ Gavin Newsom for courting election denier Steve Bannon

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a leading Democrat, hosted MAGA architect Steve Bannon on Newsom’s new podcast, This is Gavin Newsom, Wed. March 12. Meanwhile, former Illinois U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Republican, wasted no time letting his feelings be known about Newsom’s choice.

Like many liberal Democrats, Newsom has used his podcast to reach across party lines with guests like right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, much like Biden administration Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and even Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders often appear on Fox News to bridge a political divide in the country which some say paved the way for President Trump’s reelection last year.

“Unforgivable and insane”

I am in shock at the stupidity of @GavinNewsom inviting Steve Bannon on his podcast. 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. Unforgivable and insane pic.twitter.com/QD25h1mxT5

— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@AdamKinzinger) March 12, 2025

In his post, however, Kinzinger called Newsom’s choice to engage Bannon in conversation, “Unforgivable and insane.” Kinzinger opposed Trump during his first term when Kinzinger was still in office, and endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. He decided not to run again in 2022, and since then, he’s been an outspoken critic of Trump policies.

Kinzinger’s post read, “I am in shock at the stupidity of @GavinNewsom inviting Steve Bannon on his podcast. 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.”

In an accompanying video, Kinzinger added, “Bannon is the author of this chaos we’re seeing right now,” in the federal government in Trump’s second term, so far. He said, “Because Newsom wants to run for president and be this healer, he brings on this nationalist. Many on the right sacrificed our careers taking these people on,” Kinzinger reiterated. “Newsom’s trying to make a career with them. This is insane,” he said.

Newsom’s wisdom in debating right-wing populists like Kirk and Bannon is debatable. Bannon and Newsom agreed on some points, and disagreed on others during their roughly hour-long conversation. “This is part of the process to unwind you from being a globalist to make you a populist nationalist. It’s a long journey,” Bannon told Newsom.

The New York Times criticized Newsom for not pushing back on Bannon over claims Trump won the 2020 election. He did, however, correct Bannon when he called Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas.”

Both expressed doubt about Elon Musk’s influence on Trump through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Trump’s second administration, and agreed they opposed tax cuts for the rich, which Trump’s policies are often criticized for supporting.

Bannon was also surprisingly forthcoming with praise for Democrats like John Fetterman and California Democrat Representative Ro Khanna.

Newsom says he’s “flipping the script”

Newsom has already courted controversy with this Kirk conversation when he said of transgender women in sports, a hot button issue in the 2024 campaign, “I think it’s an issue of fairness,” Newsom told Kirk. “I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair,” Newsom said.

Republicans are flooding the zone with content, policy, and messaging — every. single. day.

We can’t just sit back or “play dead”. Time to flip the script. pic.twitter.com/JFQ2MQcwRV

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 6, 2025

Newsom’s second term as California governor ends next year, and he’s termed out from running again. Many speculate he will seek the White House in 2028. When announcing the podcast, Newsom said he’ll talk to people “I disagree with,” as well as “People I look up to,” including, “some of the biggest leaders and architects in the MAGA movement.”

In an X post, Newsom explained, “Republicans are flooding the zone with content, policy, and messaging — every. single. day. We can’t just sit back or ‘play dead.’ Time to flip the script.” To replicate the right’s online success, Newsom could turn to Dems like New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has a massive social media following, for inspiration instead of becoming chummy with Bannon. It remains to be seen how Newsom’s chosen strategy will pay off.