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Did Gavin Newsom Just Become the Best Democratic Nominee for President? | Pivot

Kara and Scott discuss the tensions flaring between Trump and Newsom over the National Guard’s LA deployment. Then, Elon Musk regrets “some” of his recent posts about President Trump, and X lures advertisers by getting litigious. All of that plus: the U.S.-China trade deal is back, OpenAI makes a deal with Google, and more. #karaswisher #pivot #podcast #karaswisher #scottgalloway #nationalguard #military #protests #la #losangeles #immigration #gavinnewsom #democrats #elonmusk #trump #x #advertising #china #trade #openai #google #abc #terrymoran #disney #universal #midjourney Timecodes: 00:00 Intro 5:20 Minnesota Lawmaker Shootings 16:28 Trump’s Military Parade and No Kings Protests 28:24 Iran-Israel Conflict Escalates 39:57 Defense Department Reviews SpaceX Contracts 56:18 Wins and Fails Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Kevin Oliver Audio Engineer: Ernie Indradat Vox Media's Executive Producer of Podcasts: Nishat Kurwa Subscribe to Pivot on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1073226719 Subscribe to Pivot on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MU3RFGELZxPT9XHVwTNPR Follow us on Instagram and Threads at: https://www.instagram.com/pivotpodcastofficial Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@PIVOTPODCAST Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at https://podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/pivot This episode is presented to you by IBM. https://ibm.com

Scott GallowayhostKara Swisherhost
Jun 12, 20251h 2mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Gavin Newsom Emerges as Democrats’ De Facto Leader Amid Chaos

  1. Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway discuss Trump’s domestic military deployments, looming immigration raids, and the ‘No Kings’ protests, arguing the moves resemble authoritarian “fascist foreplay” rather than real security policy.
  2. They frame California Governor Gavin Newsom as the unexpected, de facto leader of the Democratic Party, praising his rhetoric and positioning during the crisis while debating how protests can be effective without feeding MAGA narratives.
  3. The conversation widens to Trump’s erratic China trade maneuvers, Elon Musk’s public groveling to Trump and faltering Tesla prospects, and Google, Meta, and OpenAI’s shifting AI strategies and cost-cutting.
  4. They close with media and IP battles—from ABC firing Terry Moran over a Trump tweet to Disney’s lawsuit against Midjourney—as evidence of a broader realignment of power, speech, and money in politics, tech, and content.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Newsom has seized a national leadership vacuum for Democrats.

Through aggressive, clear messaging against Trump’s domestic military deployments and immigration raids, Newsom has effectively become the party’s main public counterweight, positioning himself as a likely future presidential standard-bearer.

Protest optics can either build support or gift ammunition to opponents.

Galloway argues that masks, foreign flags, and isolated vandalism images let MAGA media frame protests as chaos; he advises demonstrators to lean on American flags, civility, and clear messaging to be effective rather than just “right.”

Trump’s militarized response risks backfiring and radicalizing moderates.

By invoking the Insurrection Act rhetoric, deploying National Guard and marines domestically, and threatening protesters, Trump may be creating a ‘fascist indigestion’ moment where more Americans see his actions as an attack on civil liberties.

Despite noise, Trump’s policy record and polling on immigration are weak.

Swisher cites polling (e.g., Quinnipiac) showing Trump underwater on immigration and related issues, undermining the notion that hardline raids and theatrics strengthen his political hand, especially as Republicans eye those numbers.

Elon Musk’s brand and Tesla’s valuation face serious structural risk.

Musk’s oscillation between attacking and appeasing Trump, endless delays on robo-taxis, leadership churn, and a controversial Cybertruck release all contribute to what Galloway calls massive brand destruction—and he notes that valuing Tesla like BYD would imply a 90–95% stock drop if autonomy fails.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

I think Gavin Newsom is now coming out of this the de facto leader of the Democratic Party.

— Scott Galloway

This is not leadership, it's fascist foreplay, and history will not be kind.

— Scott Galloway

He’s taking a wrecking ball to our founding fathers’ historic project… There are no longer any checks and balances.

— Gavin Newsom (clip played on the show)

I’ve struggled my whole life with the difference between being right and being effective.

— Scott Galloway

You don’t fuck with the mouse.

— Scott Galloway (on Disney’s IP enforcement)

Gavin Newsom’s rise as de facto leader of the Democratic PartyTrump’s use of military power, immigration raids, and the ‘No Kings’ protest responsePublic perception, protest tactics, and historical analogies to authoritarianismTrump’s China trade “deal” and broader geopolitical competence questionsElon Musk’s rapprochement with Trump, Tesla’s troubles, and X’s advertiser warsAI power struggle among OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and MetaMedia layoffs, journalistic norms, and IP battles (Terry Moran, Disney vs. Midjourney)

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