Why Gavin Newsom Won't Stop Trolling Trump | Pivot

It's the Scott-Free August grand finale, and Kara is joined by guest co-host Governor Gavin Newsom. Kara and the governor discuss redistricting fights, Trump's move to oust Fed Governor Lisa Cook, and OpenAI's latest legal trouble. Also, Newsom is releasing… a memecoin? Plus, Kara asks the governor all the important questions: Will he accept a debate challenge from Ron DeSantis and Sean Hannity? What does he think of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement? Could he beat Scott in a bench pressing contest? #pivot #podcast #karaswisher #scottgalloway #gavinnewsom #donaldtrump #thefed #taylorswift #traviskelce #tayvis #rondesantis #seanhannity #openai #zohranmamdani Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 8:36 Newsom’s Trolling Tactics 21:01 Redistricting Arms Race 29:32 Trump’s Attempt to Fire Fed Gov 31:36 Trump’s Militarizing Cities Continues 42:45 OpenAI Sued 52:13 Predictions Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Kevin Oliver Audio Engineer: Ernie Indradat Video Editor: Jim Mackil 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

Kara SwisherhostGavin Newsomguest

Aug 29, 202557mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: August 29, 2025
Duration: 57m
Channel: Pivot
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

It's the Scott-Free August grand finale, and Kara is joined by guest co-host Governor Gavin Newsom. Kara and the governor discuss redistricting fights, Trump's move to oust Fed Governor Lisa Cook, and OpenAI's latest legal trouble. Also, Newsom is releasing… a memecoin? Plus, Kara asks the governor all the important questions: Will he accept a debate challenge from Ron DeSantis and Sean Hannity? What does he think of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement? Could he beat Scott in a bench pressing contest? #pivot #podcast #karaswisher #scottgalloway #gavinnewsom #donaldtrump #thefed #taylorswift #traviskelce #tayvis #rondesantis #seanhannity #openai #zohranmamdani Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 8:36 Newsom’s Trolling Tactics 21:01 Redistricting Arms Race 29:32 Trump’s Attempt to Fire Fed Gov 31:36 Trump’s Militarizing Cities Continues 42:45 OpenAI Sued 52:13 Predictions Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Kevin Oliver Audio Engineer: Ernie Indradat Video Editor: Jim Mackil 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

SPEAKERS

Kara Swisher
host
Gavin Newsom
guest
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Pivot, featuring Kara Swisher and Gavin Newsom, Why Gavin Newsom Won't Stop Trolling Trump | Pivot explores gavin Newsom Explains His Relentless Trump Trolling And Power Strategy Kara Swisher and California Governor Gavin Newsom dissect his recent shift into aggressive, meme-driven trolling of Donald Trump and right‑wing media, framing it as a deliberate communications strategy, not a stunt. Newsom argues Democrats must abandon political “weakness,” fight fire with fire on messaging, and counter Republican power grabs like Texas-style redistricting. They also examine Trump’s moves against institutions like the Fed and his use of federal troops in cities, plus Democrats’ vulnerability on crime and public safety. Finally, they discuss tech’s alignment with Trump, AI harms and regulation, and Newsom’s broader effort to wake voters up to what he sees as an existential democratic crisis.

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