By Charles Switzer
1:22pm PDT, Mar 29, 2025
Maher Pushes Newsom on 2028 Presidential Ambitions
During his Friday, March 28, appearance on HBO's
Real Time, California Governor
Gavin Newsom faced direct questions from host
Bill Maher about his potential plans to run for president.
Maher wasted no time, telling Newsom, "It's why you'd be a good candidate, you play this game well." He added pointedly, "Your future is not in California, your future is in Iowa," before urging him to "dispense with the b******* and be honest about whether he intends to run.
Maher pressed further: "We need someone who's going to be the champion. Are you going to do it or not?"
Newsom, while appearing candid, deflected: "I can't stand the b******* as well, and I mean that." He continued, "So, look, but it's not my purpose or passion. It's not my meaning. It's not everything." Turning the focus away from the speculation, he added, "I deeply respect that the question, but I don't have any grand plans with respect to that."
Here are four key takeaways from Maher's sitdown with Newsom.
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Banter, Bureaucracy and Liberal Governance
Bill Maher began the interview with a compliment, saying to Gavin Newsom, "You look great, you always do," before adopting his signature skeptical tone.
He took a jab at California bureaucracy, complaining about the number of inspections required for a new roof on his home. Newsom took the opportunity to critique broader Democratic governance: the tendency, he said, for "liberal governance" to be "process focused and not outcome focused."
The moment signaled Newsom's broader positioning — not just as California's governor, but as a voice willing to challenge his own party's inefficiencies.
Newsom's Podcast and Media Strategy
In recent months, Newsom has been leveraging his
"This is Gavin Newsom" podcast to engage a politically diverse audience.
Hosting guests across the ideological spectrum — from right-wing figures like
Charlie Kirk and
Steve Bannon to progressives such as Gov.
Tim Walz and columnist
Ezra Klein — he has both earned praise and drawn criticism.
The approach seems intentional. Newsom is clearly trying to stay in the national conversation.
During the interview, he even referenced Pennsylvania Governor
Josh Shapiro — another Democrat seen as a 2028 contender — perhaps as a veiled political jab.
Candid Talk on Trump, Democrats
Turning serious, Gavin Newsom responded to Bill Maher's commentary on
Donald Trump's ever-growing political momentum in the third month of his new term.
"I'm serious about this, it's not zero sum," Newsom said. "We're not winning right now, he won by 2.3 million votes. We lost the House and the Senate, and we're in a panic. I get it for good reasons. This guy's not screwing around, but we need to own our mistakes, we need to own what's wrong with our party."
His remarks struck a chord with Maher and echoed the frustrations of many Democrats.
National Security Blunders and Maher's Final Warning
Earlier in the show, Bill Maher reacted to reports that senior defense officials had mistakenly shared attack plans in a Signal chat, calling them "idiots." The situation, which involved an attempted strike on Houthi forces in the Middle East, was described by Maher as "extremely ill-considered."
In conversation with panelists John McWhorter and Rikki Schlott, he quipped, "Looks like Pete Hegseth picked the wrong week to quit drinking," mocking the embattled Defense Secretary who fumbled the public messaging.
By the episode's close, Maher pivoted to criticize Donald Trump and his MAGA allies, especially their talk of a third term.
"There's no fuzz on this. It's as clear as 123, presidents get two terms, not more, no matter how wonderful you think they are. It's written in black and white in the Constitution. Guys, you know this is wrong. You know in your heart, this is the moment when Rome stops being a republic. So come on, be like those mice and grow a pair of b****."
