California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been cosplaying a tough guy in recent days, daring President Trump to arrest him for his weak response to the ICE riots roiling his state. But just under the surface is an insecure man-child who wildly lashes out at his critics.
Case in point: He’s trying to shut down negative coverage of his recent prime time speech by claiming copyright violations and getting content creators demonetized.
My Townhall Media colleague Larry O’Connor, on his YouTube show “Larry,” eviscerated Newsom’s Tuesday night speech, calling it his “latest meltdown.”
“We call out Newsom’s lies and challenge the liberal narrative on immigration enforcement and public safety. Don’t miss this hard-hitting exposé on the state of California under ‘Governor Hair Gel,'” the description read. Perfectly legal under the First Amendment, especially considering that this was an elected official giving a public speech in his official capacity.
But then this happened:
🚨NEW — Governor Gavin Newsom is issuing YouTube copyright claims through his “This is Gavin Newsom” podcast on his incendiary address to California during violent riots.
Conservative video creators like @LarryOConnor who are critical of Gavin Newsom’s words are being punished. pic.twitter.com/IY65Z4QtvX
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 12, 2025
Newsom actually used iHeart Media, which hosts his podcast, to issue a copyright claim against Larry’s review of his speech. As a result, YouTube demonetized the video, making it impossible for Larry to get paid for his work.
In recent months, Newsom has been criticized for possible ethics lapses related to his podcasts.
My latest column: Does Gavin Newsom’s podcast breach ethical boundaries? He now has 2 podcast deals & potential future $ from iHeartMedia, which lobbies the Legislature. He also acquired a stake in a mysterious podcast production LLC. Here’s what I found ⤵️https://t.co/oe9UXyBcIv
— Emily Hoeven (@emily_hoeven) March 22, 2025
Hoeven wrote:
According to Ann Ravel, former chairperson of the Federal Elections Commission and the California Fair Political Practices Commission, “any economic benefit for elected officials … must be disclosed as they can be conflicts of interest with their obligations as elected officials.”
The governor’s office said that Newsom’s relationship with iHeart isn’t a conflict of interest because he won’t earn any money from the podcasts while he’s in office.
If Newsom’s deals with iHeart “leave the door open” for future income, McMorris told me, “that becomes an ethical issue in terms of what he needs to do under the state’s conflict of interest laws when certain matters come before him legislatively or he tries to influence certain matters that might affect iHeart.”
State records show that iHeartMedia spent more than $142,000 during the 2023-24 legislative session lobbying California lawmakers on various bills. State records also show that iHeartMedia was the fourth-largest behested donor to Newsom in 2020, spending more than $13.2 million on his behalf for airtime “supporting California’s COVID-19 awareness campaign.”
The funny thing is that Newsom had begged media outlets to cover his “fiery but mostly flaccid” speech. My colleague Matt Margolis wrote:
The real disaster unfolded when Newsom decided to play big shot with a televised address to bash Trump. Desperate for airtime, he stooped to groveling at the feet of Fox News’ Sean Hannity, practically begging for coverage. Hannity even aired the pathetic plea on live TV.
“Governor Newsom just texted me and was asking me whether or not we will be taking some of his press conference at the bottom of the hour…”
The speech, purportedly crafted to boost his profile amid the deadly LA riots, was widely panned as performance art. Matt explained:
This wasn’t just a speech—it was a flailing performance packed with lies, tech glitches, and the pathetic spectacle of Newsom groveling for airtime from a network he usually sneers at. He tried to cast himself as California’s last line of defense, but what the country saw was a dishonest, unsteady politician who can’t even handle a live broadcast, let alone a crisis. And if Newsom thinks he can ride these anti-ICE riots into a successful presidential campaign, he’s got another thing coming.
Newsom was Mr. Potato Head putting on his angry eyes for the cameras. The stunt failed spectacularly—and he knows it. The copyright claim tells you everything you need to know about his insecurities.
Oh, and here’s the video Gavin Newsom doesn’t want you to see:
This story has been updated to include additional information about Newsom’s podcasts.
Why is it that the Left’s go-to tactic—every time—is to censor free speech? They haven’t learned the lessons of the 2020 election, and now they’re doubling down on censorship. That’s where PJ Media comes in. We are here, 24/7, to bring you the unvarnished truth about Gavin Newsom, the “peaceful” deadly riots around the country, and the opposition to President Trump’s agenda. You can help us stay online amid the censorship and demonization by becoming a VIP member. For just $1.60 per month, you’ll get lots of great benefits (read about them here) and you’ll be helping us to stay in the fight. Sign up today and use the promo code FIGHT for 60% off.
