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Newsom’s ‘Hustling’ Childhood Story Draws Partisan Backlash as Full Interview Adds Nuance

Context from the full interview, alongside prior biographies, portrays early hardship followed by a later reentry of his father’s Getty-linked ties.

Overview

  • On the All The Smoke podcast, Gavin Newsom described being raised by a young mother who worked multiple jobs, recalling roommates, Wonder Bread and macaroni and cheese to illustrate tight finances.
  • Conservative media figures mocked the account and highlighted William Newsom’s long ties to the Getty family, Marin County affluence data, and archival photos showing Newsom in elite circles.
  • A Newsom spokesperson said he was raised by his mother after his parents’ divorce and moved between “two different worlds,” noting she at one point juggled secretary, waitress and paralegal jobs.
  • Coverage recirculated reporting that the Getty family helped finance Newsom’s early PlumpJack business venture following his graduation from Santa Clara University.
  • The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the full podcast and Newsom’s biography support both elements: a working mother’s strain early in life and later access to his father’s connections.