Overview
- Speaking on CNN from Nashville during his book tour, Gov. Gavin Newsom called President Trump “a punch-drunk boxer” and said he is “a shadow of himself.”
- Host Dana Bash pressed him on affordability, noting state prices are 11% above the U.S. average and telling him “people are still struggling to afford things, like your mom was.”
- Newsom defended California’s performance, citing a rise to the world’s No. 4 economy, recent population growth, and pushes for $11 insulin, universal healthcare, expanded paid leave, sectoral minimum wages, and more than 300,000 subsidized childcare slots.
- He acknowledged housing challenges and highlighted recent reforms, while federal data show housing costs 53% above the national norm and utilities 60% higher in 2024.
- The exchange drew swift backlash from Trump supporters on X and renewed scrutiny of Newsom’s biography and migration trends showing a net domestic outflow of roughly three million since 2010 despite a recent rebound to about 40 million residents.