There are softball interviews, there are T-ball interviews, and then there’s whatever New York Magazine and Vox Media's Pivot podcast host Kara Swisher did on Friday with California Gov. Gavin Newsom when she asked him what his favorite meme is.
In recent days, Newsom tried to mimic President Trump’s social media-posting habits under the argument that conservative dislike of his new hobby means he is only exposing hypocrisy. In reality, Newsom’s act just comes across as a ham-fisted derivative of the original from someone trying too hard to get elected president in 2028.
It has also exposed that for a lot of liberals, their problem with Trump’s social media posts isn’t the insults, memes, or merchandise, per se, but that they were on the receiving end of those insults. Swisher was all for the insults so long as they were directed the other way, “Okay, so do you have a—I'm going to get to the more serious thing with redistricting, but what—do you have a favorite of your memes. Calling Trump 'tiny hands' was nice. You're getting prayed over by Tucker Carlson, Kid Rock and an angelic Hulk Hogan—”
Newsom interrupted to explain, “Oh, that was my favorite,” as Swisher continued, “There was a lot of user-generated chesty stuff going on with you there.”
A sarcastic Newsom added, “Yeah, they finally did untouched photos of me without a shirt on, which is good to finally see something that’s not edited. Yeah.”
Swisher then repeated her original question, “Is there one that you like that you're like, ‘well done’? It's a team of people, right?”
Newsom also repeated his earlier answer, “I, come on, I think Hulk—God bless Hulk. I'm sorry for his passing, his family's loss, but I think that Tucker-Kid Rock, come on. That's why it's a T-shirt. It's available on the Patriot site. And, you know, and before the meme coin, as I said, the Bible's already sold out and, I'd encourage you—that's going to be limited edition, that T-shirt.”
Swisher also promoted the store, “Where do the proceeds from the Patriot Shop go and the meme coin?”
According to Newsom, this entire act is about saving democracy, “Well, in the meme coin that will soon be the Trump corruption coin, available to all of you. All of those go to our Campaign for Democracy. They go for this effort on the redistricting. They go into, they go into this effort. They go into our effort to continue to raise awareness and continue to communicate and organize.”
Politicians will do stunts like this, but Swisher should also have asked if this Patriot Shop will also be selling dinner reservations for the French Laundry or Panera Bread gift cards instead.
Here is a transcript for the August 29 show:
Pivot
8/29/2025
KARA SWISHER: Okay, so do you have a—I'm going to get to the more serious thing with redistricting, but what— do you have a favorite of your memes. Calling Trump “tiny hands” was nice. You're getting prayed over by Tucker Carlson, Kid Rock and an angelic Hulk Hogan—
GAVIN NEWSOM: Oh, that was my favorite.
SWISHER: —there was a lot of user-generated chesty stuff going on with you there.
NEWSOM: Yeah, they finally did untouched photos of me without a shirt on, which is good to finally see something that’s not edited. Yeah.
SWISHER: Is there one that you like that you're like, “well done”?
NEWSOM: No, I thought—
SWISHER: It's a team of people, right?
NEWSOM: I, come on, I think Hulk—God bless Hulk. I'm sorry for his passing, his family's loss, but I think that Tucker-Kid Rock, come on. That's why it's a T-shirt. It's available on the Patriot site. And, you know, and before the meme coin, as I said, the Bible's already sold out and, I'd encourage you—that's going to be limited edition, that T-shirt.
SWISHER: Okay, I'm excited for the steak. Where do the proceeds from the Patriot Shop go and the meme coin?
NEWSOM: Well, in the meme coin that will soon be the Trump corruption coin, available to all of you. All of those go to our Campaign for Democracy. They go for this effort on the redistricting.
SWISHER: Redistricting.
NEWSOM: They go into, they go into this effort. They go into our effort to continue to raise awareness and continue to communicate and organize.
