Gavin Newsom Tells Bill Maher That He Tried To Resolve Hollywood Strikes, Says He Took On Ron DeSantis Because Democrats Weren’t “Doing Enough”
20.01.2024 - 04:25
/ deadline.com
California Governor Gavin Newsom, appearing on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, defended his largely behind-the-scenes role during the protracted actors and writers strike last year, as well as his decision to take on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Maher, returning for his first show of 2024, started off by asking Newsom why he didn’t do some “jawboning” to try to resolve the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes so they were resolved earlier. Maher asked why Newsom didn’t just go to both sides and tell them, “You knuckleheads are going to find a number that you agree on at some point. It always happens, instead of putting these people out of work for all these months and all this suffering and heartache. Can we just get it done today?”
Newsom answered, “Well, we did all of that except the knucklehead part was expressed on multiple occasions, down here on many, many occasions.”
He said that entailed “not only meeting with both sides, meeting with individuals, phone calls, text messages, emails, working behind the scenes, national groups, state groups. So it is all part of the art of the possible in the deal, in the context of not showing your cards and showing a bias upfront, so you can be constructive behind the scenes when both parties call you when you are needed.” He added that “sometimes you are more public, sometimes it is behind the scenes.”
Later, Maher talked of Newsom’s battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, which played out in November when the two state leaders debated each other on Fox News with Sean Hannity moderating.
During the interview, Maher continued to talk up Newsom as a presidential prospect, but said to him at the outset, “I’m not going to even go there.” Newsom has been asked