Trump is hated by many on the left. They hardly have anything nice to say about him.
But this blue state governor admitted one thing about President Trump that will make your jaw drop.
Even California Governor Gavin Newsom had to pause and give credit where it was due. In a recent podcast chat with Politico’s Jonathan Martin, the Democrat powerhouse dropped a jaw-dropping admission about President Donald Trump. Despite years of public clashes and endless media-fueled attacks, Newsom confessed there was one trait in the commander-in-chief that actually impressed him.
The conversation unfolded on the On the Road with Jonathan Martin episode that dropped this week. Martin pressed Newsom on the strange dynamic between the two men.
They trade barbs online like bitter rivals, yet something shifts when they stand face-to-face. Martin recalled their latest encounter at Davos, where Trump pulled Newsom aside backstage and started dishing out advice on politics and public relations.
Newsom described the exchange with a mix of surprise and reluctant respect. “It was a fascinating conversation where he’s just, you know, saying, ‘We used to get along great! What the h*ll? Hey, we’re gonna be great–’” That raw, personal pitch from Trump cut through the noise. Martin captured it perfectly: Trump wasn’t there to score points. He was working the room, turning foes into fans one handshake at a time.
“Yeah he wants to win everyone over. That’s who he is,” the governor said.
Newsom’s words landed like a confession from the other side of the aisle. The governor saw it up close. Trump’s relentless drive to connect, to persuade, to close the sale on his vision for America. Martin likened it to a master salesman: “He wants to sell you the car.”
Newsom didn’t deny the pull. “Yeah, everybody. And look, yeah, I admire that on some level,” he said, before adding, “I mean, there’s a human quality to that. He needs to be needed. He needs to be loved. And you know and – but then you get into some clinical components of that as well.”
The governor tried to walk it back a bit, insisting he isn’t obsessed with torpedoing the president. “So look, I’m not – I don’t wake up every day to try to find, you know, a crowbar to put in the spokes of his wheel.” Sure, Governor. But that olive branch lasted about thirty seconds before the real agenda spilled out.
Newsom quickly pivoted to the real fight ahead for his party. He warned that Democrats must claw back the House in 2026 or risk losing everything. According to him, failure would open the door to all sorts of dirty tricks from Republicans in the 2028 presidential race.
It was the same old script: project your own tactics onto the other side while sounding the alarm about fairness.
“That said, I’m going to stand my ground. I’m going to fight fire with fire. We’re going to have the backs of our diverse communities, and we’re going to fight back. And, yeah, fight fire with fire. And I know two wrongs don’t make a right, but with all due respect, we’ll lose this country as we try to win that argument, and Democrats are constantly trying to be right,” Newsom said.
“The other side is ruthless, and with respect, my party needs to be more ruthless about winning, because if we don’t win back the House of Representatives, we may not have a fair and free election in 2028, and I really believe that.”
Listen to that language. “Fight fire with fire.” “More ruthless about winning.” This is the same crew that spent years calling Trump a threat to democracy while they engineered lawfare, censored parents at school boards, and weaponized federal agencies against ordinary citizens. Now they admit they need to get even dirtier to hold power.
Trump’s style stands in total contrast. He doesn’t hide behind consultants or scripted attacks. He meets people where they are, looks them in the eye, and sells them on a better deal for America. That personal touch built a movement that shattered the old political order.
Elites in blue-state bubbles like Newsom’s California can’t stand it because it exposes their disconnect from everyday voters.
