In many ways, Gavin Newsom is at the forefront of the fight against Trump. Whether he’s “holding up a mirror” to Trump on social media, fighting (and beating) him in court, or successfully redistricting his state in order to counteract Trump’s gerrymandering efforts, the California Governor is an adept troublemaker for MAGA.
It’s rare to see a politician, especially one as prominent as Gavin Newsom, release a deeply introspective look into not only his own backstory, but his family’s history immigrating from Ireland.
But Newsom’s new book, “Young Man in a Hurry,” does exactly that. It contains the juicy behind-the-scenes stories that political junkies might expect, but the majority of the book centers around personal insights into Newsom’s parent’s divorce, his childhood, how difficult it was for his mother to single parent while working, and his experiences being bullied as a child. The book is feels raw and atypical in a refreshing way, especially since Newsom himself says people who dislike him would love the book because it’s all “oppo research” on his life.
As Newsom told me during this episode of The Siren Podcast, “I had to go deep and I had to learn about my mom. I learned about my parents’ divorce. I learned about my grandparents that I never knew about. I learned about this house of secrets. I learned about all the alcoholism. I learned about the suicides. And it was this wonderful process, painful, cathartic, this journey, and put it all on there on paper as honestly as I could.”
One of the most joyful parts of the book comes when Newsom describes the “Winter of Love” in San Fransisco, where then-Mayor Newsom issued the first same-sex marriage licenses in the country.
Newsom says, “I had just become elected mayor of San Francisco. I’m 35 years old, the youngest mayor in a hundred years. And within a few weeks, here I was marrying 4,036 couples from 46 states and six countries.”
Newsom’s actions flew in the face of California state law at the time. And now, in 2026, when Trump and his goons in DC are dead-set on reversing the hard-fought rights of so many Americans, this story is more poignant than ever.
This is an episode you won’t want to miss.
And with that, I love with guys!!
💙 Jo
Also, in case you missed it, we just launched a media network I am co-founder of, called The Siren, where today’s show is hosted! We have a whole slate of contributors, new shows, new faces, new voices and new ways to stay engaged and get involved! With so much more to come.
I hope you’ll check it out!!
