One potential future Democratic presidential candidate hit out at another on Thursday, as Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky, criticized Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, for welcoming far-right provocateur Steve Bannon on to his podcast.
“I think that Governor Newsom bringing on different voices is great; we shouldn’t be afraid to talk and to debate just about anyone,” Beshear said at a House Democratic retreat in Virginia. “But Steve Bannon espouses hatred and anger, and even at some points violence, and I don’t think we should give him oxygen on any platform, ever, anywhere.”
Bannon was Donald Trump’s campaign chair in 2016 and chief White House strategist in 2017, a role he lost amid controversy over his far-right views.
He remains an influential voice on the populist right, even after serving a four-month prison sentence for criminal contempt of Congress, imposed for refusing to cooperate with the House committee investigating the deadly January 6 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.
Last month, Bannon avoided more jail time by pleading guilty to a fraud charge related to a private effort to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.
Speaking to Newsom, Bannon repeated Trump’s lie that the 2020 US election was stolen by Joe Biden – the fuel for the January 6 assault.
Responding to Beshear, Newsom said it was “critically important” to understand Trump and Trumpism, adding: “I think we all agreed after the last election that it’s important for Democrats to explore new and unique ways of talking to people.”
Newsom’s podcast, This Is Gavin Newsom, is widely seen as an attempt to forge a direct channel to voters, bypassing traditional media. The governor has welcomed rightwing guests including the pro-Trump organizer and podcaster Charlie Kirk.
Both Newsom and Beshear are widely held to be preparing runs for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. Newsom is in his second term as governor of California, a deeply Democratic state. Beshear is in his second term as governor of Kentucky, otherwise solidly Republican.
Beshear was vetted to be Kamala Harris’s nominee for vice-president last year. He was joined at the policy retreat in Virginia by two more governors whom was Harris considering for a running mate: Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.
Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman from Illinois turned anti-Trump campaigner who sat on the January 6 committee, said it was “stupid” to talk to Bannon.
“Bannon is the author of this chaos we’re seeing right now,” Kinzinger said in reference to Trump’s assault on the federal government, his abrasive approach to US allies and more.
“Bannon is the one that says you need to flood the zone with shit … and because Gavin Newsom wants to run for president and thinks he’s gonna be this healer, he brings on this nationalist?”
Kinzinger added later: “I am in shock at the stupidity of Newsom 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.”
