California Gov. Gavin Newsom was the latest Californian to grace Austin, to talk all things politics and pocketbooks during a podcast live-taping at South by Southwest. 

Newsom joined Vivian Tu for an episode of her podcast “Networth & Chill” — a show about the financial impact of everyday life — on Sunday for an hour-long conversation that covered affordability, tariffs, taxes and the broader state of the U.S. economy.

Tu brought up voters’ arguments that concerns about the economy — and the idea that government should be run like a business — helped propel President Donald Trump to victory. Newsom quickly pushed back.

“How is that going for you?” he quipped.

“It’s important to have a business-like mindset in terms of how we govern, but we’re not a for-profit business. We can’t choose our customers. We can’t choose our zip code,” Newsom said. “Most of these guys come in top-down — they’re disasters, just like [Trump] is a disaster.”

“He promised to make us healthier, and wealthier, and we’re sicker and poorer,” Newsom added. “Look at these tariffs, costing the average household $1,701, what it’s done to small businesses, including the government shutdown over his own incompetence.”

While the discussion focused largely on economic issues, Newsom also lobbed frequent jabs at Trump and his allies.

At one point, Newsom compared Trump’s use of the nickname “Newscum” to the behavior of an eight-year-old boy he wrote about in his recently published memoir, Young Man in a Hurry.

“Trump is a jack—,” Newsom said, drawing applause and cheers from the crowd.

Trump wasn’t Newsom’s only target. The governor also referenced the leadership of former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and warned about the Democratic Party’s position heading into future elections.

“We’re going to lose this country if we don’t recognize we’re up against asymmetry,” Newsom said of the political landscape facing Democrats ahead of the November 2026 election cycle.

The governor also sidestepped speculation about a potential 2028 presidential run.

Borrowing from an analogy Tu used earlier in the conversation comparing the interview to a first date, Newsom joked that if Democrats can help House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries win the speaker’s gavel, “You and I can go on a second date” — a reference to her question about his future political plans.

The crowd flocked to the stage as the session ended, gathering into a mob-like cluster to snap photos or grab a quick word with the California governor.

Newsom’s SXSW appearance followed an earlier stop at a rally at the Pipe Fitters union hall in Austin. Roughly 300 people attended the “Tacos & Democracy” event, which also featured Austin-area U.S. Rep. Greg Casar.

The California governor has faced mounting speculation about a possible 2028 presidential run, particularly after the successful campaign for Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment that allowed California to adopt new congressional maps in response to a Texas GOP- and Trump-backed effort to redraw districts.

Newsom did not directly address that effort during the SXSW conversation and has not publicly confirmed or denied whether he plans to run for president in 2028.