Comedian and actor Paul F Tompkins has roasted California governor Gavin Newsom for his sudden U-turn on LGBTQ+ issues, and for inviting Steve Bannon onto his podcast.

The 57-year-old, who has been the western state’s governor since 2019, made an unexpected shift to the right after he spoke with Turning Point USA co-founder and right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk.

During the conversation, Newsom made a sharp U-turn on his views regarding trans participation in sports, saying he believed it to be an issue of “fairness.”

“I completely agree with you on that,” he said during the podcast spot in early March. “It is an issue of fairness – it’s deeply unfair.”

Now, the governor has been further criticised for featuring notably far-right pundit and “America First” advocate Steve Bannon on his podcast.

Bannon, who served as Trump’s chief strategist during his first term, remains incredibly influential among the populist right and has served jail time over his refusal to cooperate with an investigation of the deadly January 6 insurrection on the US capitol.

In February, Bannon barely escaped further jail time over charges of fraud related to private efforts to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.

Tompkins, known for his work on Mr Show, Comedy Bang Bang, and Bojack Horseman. Wrote in a Wednesday (12 March) Bluesky post that Newsom was completely unfit for any political position, save for “governor of the bottom of the sea.”

“Why not interview a trans person about your anti-trans bulls**t?”

“What does anybody need to hear from Steve Bannon?” he questioned. “I feel like we got this guy’s thing sorted out crystal clear, no further questions your honour.

“Gavin Newsom absolutely does not care about pretending to be anything other than an opportunistic s**theel and very soon he will have a Netflix comedy special.”

Tompkins further deplored Newsom’s new position on trans rights, questioning: “Why not interview a trans person about your anti-trans bulls**t?”

Kentucky governor, Andy Beshear, also deplored Newsom’s shift to the right, saying that, while he supports bringing on “different voices,” Bannon’s rhetoric is too hateful to parse.

“Steven Bannon espouses hatred and anger, and even at some points violence, and I don’t think we should give him oxygen on any platform, ever, anywhere,” he said.

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