Staff Reports
Governor Gavin Newsom took a fishing rod and a camera crew this week and tried to turn a headline into a soft apology. In a filmed fly‑fishing conversation with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Newsom offered what he called “COVID regrets,” called closing beaches “insane” in hindsight, admitted some schools stayed closed too long, called the French Laundry episode “boneheaded,” and said he wouldn’t run for president in 2028 if former Vice President Kamala Harris runs. Nice casting. But charm doesn’t erase policy failures.
Fly‑fishing confessional: the clip that launched a thousand hot takes
The setting was carefully chosen: waist‑deep in a Montana river, governor and anchor swapping lines and talking politics. That image is meant to humanize Newsom as he tests the national stage. The takeaway clips are simple and clear — self‑critique on pandemic rules and a bow to a higher‑profile Democrat. He calls beach closures “insane” in hindsight and says the big Los Angeles districts kept kids out too long. He also labeled his own French Laundry dinner a mistake. Those are short, memorable lines meant to hit the replay button on cable and social feeds.
A convenient mea culpa or real contrition?
Let’s not pretend fly‑fishing counts as repentance. When a politician revisits old mistakes in front of a camera, you have to ask: who is he talking to? Is this for voters, donors, or potential rivals? Newsom’s COVID “regrets” are useful messaging: they acknowledge pain millions felt without offering a new plan or an honest accounting of why his government chose those lockdowns. And of course, a staged outdoor chat lets him appear casual while still controlling every frame. The real question is whether Californians — and voters nationwide — see through the photo op to the record.
Why the Harris line matters for 2028
The other headline from the tape is political theater of a different kind: Newsom saying he won’t run if former Vice President Kamala Harris runs. That’s either magnanimity or a preemptive move to avoid a nasty primary. If sincere, it reshapes the early map of potential Democratic contenders. If staged, it’s a message to party insiders and donors: I’m not here to pick fights, I’m here to be acceptable. Either way, it’s an attempt to manage rivalries before he formally starts courting the White House crowd.
At bottom, voters should judge Newsom on deeds, not fishing lore. A clip of him saying “I regret that” about school closures won’t undo the real costs families paid. A promise not to run against a particular rival won’t answer why he made certain choices in office. The fly‑fishing interview was polished, but persuasion requires more than a pretty backdrop and a few mea culpas. If Newsom plans to play on the national stage, Americans deserve straight answers and real accountability — not rehearsed regret on the riverbank.
