Tipsheet

Gavin Newsom Wants Democrats to Be More 'Culturally Normal'

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  December 05, 2025 12:00 PM

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said that Democrats need to become "more culturally normal" at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit, as he continues to play towards the middle of the field in the hopes of having a shot at the White House in 2028. 

“I think there’s a broader narrative that we ought to address,” Newsom said. “We have to be more culturally normal. We have to be a little less judgmental. We have to be a party that understands the importance and the power of the border."

Newsom never explained what he meant by “culturally normal,” but he appears to be conceding at least some of the criticism Republicans have leveled at his party, most notably Democrats’ disastrous handling of the Southern border and their defense of illegal immigrants.

This year, Democrats have largely shifted their rhetoric toward how immigration enforcement is carried out. It’s now rare to hear anyone openly argue for an open border.

This isn’t the first time Gov. Newsom has tried to nudge his party back toward the center. Throughout this year, he has repeatedly distanced himself from the excesses of wokeness.

For example, when his “This Is Gavin Newsom” podcast launched in March, he criticized the term “Latinx,” despite having used it frequently in the past. He also came out against men competing in women’s sports, calling it “deeply unfair.”

Newsom wrapped up his remarks at the NYT Summit by shifting to the economy, arguing that Democrats need a more “compelling economic vision” for the American people. “If we don’t democratize our economy, we’re not going to save democracy,” he said.

That language screams socialism and heavy-handed government intervention, but whether Newsom would actually embrace that approach on a national stage remains unclear. If his home state of California is any indication, he has yet to offer anyone a truly “compelling economic vision.”