California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) new podcast hosting prominent supporters of President Trump is raising questions about his political strategy as he wraps up his tenure as governor and keeps the door open to a 2028 presidential run.

The first few episodes of “This is Gavin Newsom” have found the governor seeking common ground with conservative figures like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon. The show has also seen Newsom break with Democrats on the issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports, calling it “deeply unfair.”

It all looks like a pivot toward the center by someone anticipating a White House race.

“I think he's playing the long game here. He realizes that he's got a lot of runway between now and the 2028 election,” said California Republican strategist Matt Klink.

Newsom is “positioning himself more as a moderate Democrat who is at least willing to listen to the thought leaders that are shaping the Republican narrative,” Klink said. That approach isn’t guaranteed to spell success with voters, but “it’s a start” at tacking toward the center.

Newsom has pitched his podcast as a way to “change the conversation” that will include “talking directly with people I disagree with, people I look up to, and you — the listeners.”

His debut episode saw Newsom, who a few months ago was casting himself as the leading face of a new Trump resistance, in a conversation with Kirk, the right-wing media personality and co-founder of Turning Point USA. Next up was conservative talk show host Michael Savage, followed by Bannon, who was chief strategist at the White House during Trump’s first term.

“He wants to be a middle-of-the-road Democrat. He tries to position himself more of a Bill Clinton-esque Democrat that can touch close enough to........

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