Former Obama aide disapproves of Newsom’s tactics

By Jerry McConway, 
updated on January 23, 2026

Governor Gavin Newsom has been Trump’s biggest critic since Trump moved back into the White House.

Yet, he has copied Trump’s playbook, right down to hawking swag and using nasty, sometimes vulgar insults and innuendo.

His methods are not sitting well with some of the big names in the party, including a former top adviser for Obama, who just shredded Newsom.

Need some swag?

Trump is a salesman, and he has been selling swag to back his campaign since day one. Newsom has started to do the same thing, only with a twist.

Newsom has been making some rather off-color jokes on social media about Trump, and that has now continued with this swag, pushing Trump kneepads at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Newsom touted the kneepads during an event, holding them up for all to see, letting everyone know they could buy them for a mere $100 donation.

The website says, “For all your groveling to Trump needs — now in Republican red. For the low low price of your soul.”

Stephen A. Smith calls out Newsom

In a previous report, I noted that generally speaking, two things were off-limits when any government official was abroad: talking smack about the country and the president.

That rule went out the window when Trump was in office the first time, as Democrats regularly talked trash about Trump and the United States on foreign soil.

Newsom just did the same thing, which drew the ire of Stephen A. Smith, an ESPN and radio host who is now dipping his toes into politics. He stated, “I have no problem with Gavin Newsom being candid and open about his feelings about our president on United States soil. To go over to another country, Switzerland, to go over there and to be in the presence of other European leaders, speaking against the President of the United States — I’m not down with that.”

He later added, “Say whatever you want here, as a governor from the opposite side of the aisle of a state in the United States, on American soil — fine. But I’m one of those people: when we go somewhere else, it’s America first.”

Axelrod unloads

David Axelrod is a former Obama adviser and a very influential voice on the left, and he is not happy with the man who is the current Democrat frontrunner.

He stated, “Haven’t we seen enough self-puffery from our leaders?” He was responding to a post by Harry Sisson, the young influencer who gushes over all things Democrat, having stated that Newsom held a “masterclass” on taking down Trump.

Axelrod then added, “Boy, I’ll tell you what.  I have a completely different cut on this. Newsom is a whip-smart, charismatic pol. His critiques of Trump are right. But this ‘Why can’t people just be as courageous as ME?’ routine is tedious.”

Newsom is charismatic, but he is an awful governor. Sadly, personality, look, and charisma are all that seem to matter these days in politics. We no longer elect representation in this country; we elect social media stars. Unfortunately, this nation of ours is paying the price for it.

About Jerry McConway

Jerry McConway is the Senior Editorial Director at American Digest Media, as well as the featured columnist on Real Talk Digest. He has been covering politics for more than a decade. His no-nonsense writing style makes him enemy number one in DC. His mission is to tell the truth to readers, good or bad, something the mainstream media has failed to do for decades. What sets Jerry apart from his competition is reader loyalty. They don't always agree with him, but they know he tells them the truth. Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him.

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