By Hayley Mireles
Sunday afternoon at the Hilton Hotel, Gavin Newsom sat down with Vivian Tu, host of the podcast Networth and Chill, for a special live show at South by South West in Austin, Texas. Tu took the audience along on a “first date” with the California Governor, detailing the release of his new book, his frustrations with the current Trump Administration, and giving a brief hint at his potential presidential run in 2028.
Tu began the date by introducing the release of Newsom’s new memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, where he recalls his family growing up and personal hardships that helped shape his career as a politician.
She asked him about his family life as a child, specifically his juggle between two worlds with his mom working many jobs and his dad’s connections to the Getty family.
Newsom responded by explaining the reality of living with a single mother who worked two to three jobs and worked extremely hard to provide for their family.
“She was always hustling; she worked as a waitress, as a bookkeeper, and worked for an adoption aid for special kids. She was a kid raising two kids.”
On the other hand, he detailed his father’s connection to the Getty Family, a wealthy family due to their role in the oil industry, claiming that through them he experienced the “proximity to wealth without the wealth and [faced] a different reality at home.”
He continued expressing that he often felt like an imposter in his father’s world and knew from a young age that part of his life was not for him. Newsom went on to say his book was an opportunity to discover who he was as someone who existed outside of wealth.
Tu went on to ask Newsom what he believes the biggest financial obstacle the American people are facing today. Newsom did not hesitate, stating, “I mean literally, Donald Trump is the biggest obstacle.”
He elaborated, calling out the tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration on imported goods from countries such as China, Mexico, and Canada as of early March 2025. Even going as far as to note that California was “the first state to sue on the tariffs.” He stood firm in his belief that the tariffs were a regressive tax imposed to further the financial burden on the American people.
Furthermore, he detailed how California has been fighting back against Trump and the Republican Party, specifically how they combatted the recent gerrymandering that occurred in Texas.
The Republican led Texas Legislature implemented a gerrymander in 2025 in an attempt to increase Republican representation in the House, a move strongly supported by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and President Trump. Newsom quickly retaliated, implementing Proposition 50, an act that would create 5 new democratic seats in the California House, as a way to “draw new lines and [stand] their ground.”
He continued his answer by mentioning the SAVE Act, a bill that would require Americans to provide a legal document confirming their citizenship at election offices, and stated that the act “is not about voter ID, it’s about choosing who votes and who doesn’t.”
Newsom ended his answer, doubling down that “The biggest impediment [is] Donald Trump.”
Tu ended the date with one last inquiry, prompting for a second date to discuss his presidential run in 2028. Newsom answered with insight into his belief that “there will not be a fair election in November 2028 until [the democrats] are able to take back the House.”
“If we can do that, then you and I can go on a second date.”