California Gov. Gavin Newsom has claimed that Steve Bannon reminds him of Bernie Sanders.

Speaking with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Newsom’s podcast, the California governor drew an unexpected parallel between the former Trump strategist and the independent senator from Vermont. “When Bannon talks about working folks and how we hollowed out the industrial core of this country,” Newsom said, “he reminds me a lot of what Bernie Sanders was saying and it reminds me a lot about what Democrats said 20 or 30 years ago”.

The 57-year-old went on to note that the former White House adviser has criticised corporate monopolies, opposed tax cuts for the wealthy, and called for lowering taxes on the middle class — positions that, in some ways, align with Sanders’ populist message. “He hates [Elon] Musk. He hates the oligarchy,” Newsom said. “He completely dismisses the notion that we should extend the tax cuts for corporations and the very wealthy”.

“What he’s talking about in terms of working folks,” the California Governor continued, “what he’s talking about from a global construct — about what’s happened to Middle America and rural Americans and why they’ve lost trust with our party — those are real issues.”

Pushing back against Walz’s concerns that Bannon was a misogynist, Newsom warned: “Not everybody that disagrees with us is a misogynist,” he said. “We have to respect people we disagree with. We can’t just turn our backs on them.”

Newsom’s remarks reflect growing Democratic concern over the party’s ability to connect with working-class voters, particularly men. He pointed to economic insecurity, cultural alienation, and a broader crisis of masculinity as forces that the Right has effectively mobilised. Acknowledging the problems surrounding Bannon’s election denial and “what he did on January 6th”, Newsom stressed that he was still a figure worth listening to. “Bannon’s talking what’s happening with men in this country and how they’ve lost their way and how they have significantly higher suicide rates,” the California Governor argued. “Lives that are more prone to despair and isolation. Those are real issues that our party needs to come to grips with”.

Newsom’s podcast, This is Gavin, has been heavily criticised by members of his own party for interviewing — and even agreeing with — various Right-wing figures on the show. In the debut episode with conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Newsom described transgender women competing in women’s sports as “unfair”. “I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that,” Newsom told Kirk. “It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair”. Former Chicago Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, called the remarks “disgusting,” while Washington House Rep. Pramila Jayapal urged Democrats not to give in to anti-transgender rhetoric.

The California governor’s move into podcasting has been seen as an effort to broaden his appeal amid ongoing speculation about a possible 2028 White House bid, which he has denied. Instead, he stressed the need on his latest episode with Walz to talk to people on the other side. “We cannot continue to be on the defence reacting to this,” he said. “We’ve got to go on the offence”.