Minnesota Governor and former Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz joined California Governor Gavin Newsom on his podcast, This is Gavin Newsom, to discuss the Democratic Party’s declining support among young male voters.
During the conversation, Newsom acknowledged that right-wing voices like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon are successfully reaching young men and the working class. “We’re losing them to these guys online,” Newsom said. “That’s why I brought on Charlie Kirk.” Walz dismissed these figures as “bad guys,” but Newsom pushed back, emphasizing their persistent influence.
Walz then asked how to “push some of those guys back under a rock.” Newsom responded, “I think we have to first understand what their motivations are, I think we have to understand what they’re actually doing.”
Newsom noted that while Bannon’s election denialism should be dismissed, his focus on working-class issues echoes what Democrats once championed. “Reminds me a lot of what Bernie Sanders was saying. Reminds me a lot of what Democrats said 20, 30 years ago,” Newsom said.
During the discussion, Walz also expressed frustration over criticism of his masculinity during the 2024 election. “They focused on it obsessively,” he said. “I think I scare them a little bit, that’s why they spend so much time on me.” He later claimed he could “kick most of their a**” and attributed Republican opposition to misogyny and racism.
Newsom pushed back, saying, “Not everybody that disagrees with us is a misogynist. This notion of toxicity and masculinity needs to be separated, and I think it’s been conflated.”
Walz was frequently mocked during the election for his mannerisms, including how he waved to crowds and used a straw. President Donald Trump dubbed him “Tampon Tim” for supporting the placement of menstruation products in boys’ restrooms at schools.
Conceding the Democrats’ failure to win broad public support, Walz admitted, “I’m probably the last person you should ask for answers because I didn’t get it done, but I do believe that we are making inroads.”
