California Governor and podcaster Gavin Newsom sparked controversy Wednesday when he delivered a heated rant on The Siren Podcast, vowing to “punch” President Donald Trump and Republicans “in the mouth.”
The remark, which drew cheers from the program’s liberal hosts, came as Newsom compared Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of undermining democracy through election interference and intimidation.
“This guy’s not screwing around. … Putin, giving advice to Trump. Trump took it,” Newsom said, arguing that Republicans have surrendered their principles to the former president. “The Republican Party doesn’t even reflect itself. … This is radical rigging of an election, destroying, vandalizing this democracy. … We’re fighting fire with fire. I’m going to punch these sons of bitches in the mouth.”
One of the hosts, JoJoFromJerz, immediately agreed: “Oh, amen to that.”
The fiery comment echoed past rhetoric from President Joe Biden, who has himself once joked about physically confronting Trump before later expressing regret.
Newsom also accused President Trump of relying on “Putin’s playbook” and of “militarizing American cities” through the use of the National Guard — and, in Los Angeles, the Marines — to curb riots and violent crime.
The California governor’s approach appears to signal that he sees a path in Democratic politics by projecting himself as a combative figure willing to embrace political brawling.
The rhetoric comes against the backdrop of recent political violence. President Trump has already survived at least two assassination attempts, while Republicans have faced deadly attacks from left-wing extremists — most notably the 2017 congressional baseball practice shooting.
