California Gov. Gavin Newsom is recasting himself as a champion for white-collar workers facing mass layoffs and AI disruption, telling a Center for American Progress event on May 19 that public anger is a “five-alarm fire.”

“There’s a reason Donald Trump’s in office, there’s a reason Bernie [Sanders] fills stadiums: they’re both right on the diagnosis,” Newsom said. “The pitchforks, yeah, they’re here.”

He warned of a new coalition of blue-collar and white-collar workers hit by economic anxiety, citing wealth concentration, stagnant mobility for younger generations, and AI’s rapid impact.

Gavin wants California college grads to have to compete with 3rd world imports for wages, college seats, housing, etc
Gavin will never say Californian children come first
He actually agrees with Trump on selling out college grads using foreigners, just for different reasons
Weird

— Toslap (@toslap) May 15, 2026

Newsom floated ideas including “universal basic capital,” public equity funds, stock ownership, extended wage replacement, and early warning systems for job displacement.

“We’ve seen AI is going to detonate all of this, and it’s happening in real time,” he said, adding that businesses “cannot continue to have a payroll tax system that taxes jobs and subsidizes automation.”

Newsom took a direct swipe at Vice President JD Vance, saying “With all due respect, JD, you don’t have it,” while avoiding criticism of high-skill immigration policies.

Governor Gavin Newsom went to Atlanta and told a crowd that he is “just like” them, he had a 960 SAT, that he can’t read speeches.

How insulting.

Working class people believe politicians are out of touch because they don’t worry about the cost or rent or medical bills. pic.twitter.com/zV7oKhecxm

— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) February 23, 2026