The data shows this could actually cost him everything in 2028, and I’m about to break down exactly why using the numbers that prove it. So let’s talk about what really happened here. Newsom signed not one, not two, but three different laws targeting what he called deepfakes and misinformation. Assembly Bill 2839 banned AI-generated political content 100 days before elections. Assembly Bill 2655 forced media platforms to remove content deemed materially deceptive. I mean, these weren’t just regulations. They were weapons designed to silence political opposition. The stated reason was a satirical video by Christopher Coles, known as Mr.

Reagan, that mocked Kamala using AI-generated voice cloning. And when Elon Musk shared it, Newsom lost his mind and he tweeted back that he had just signed a bill that makes this illegal in the state of California. Well, as it turns out, that single tweet would actually become Exhibit A in the lawsuit that destroyed him. The Babylon B was one of the parties of this lawsuit suing this blatantly unconstitutional infringement of free speech. And the B pointed out that given their satire, their entire social media platform would have to be shut down for 120 days before an election.

That’s literally four months where they would not be able to operate because of these laws. And they were like, how is this not an absolutely egregious infringement in our right to free speech? Enter Federal Judge John Mendez. He issued his ruling yesterday and he completely obliterated every single bill that gruesome Newsom signed. He ruled that these bills failed strict scrutiny analysis, violated core First Amendment protections, and that the laws were a blunt tool that hindered humorous expression and constitutionally, unconstitutionally stifled free speech. And some of the interesting stats that were cited were from the night of Columbia’s First Amendment Institute.

They analyzed 78 instances of AI use in the last presidential election, found that 39 had no deceptive intent whatsoever. The most common use was actually for legitimate campaigning purposes, not misinformation. Now, here’s where it gets interesting for 2028. Yes, Newsom is currently leading Democrat primary polling at about 25%, a 13 point surge from June. But that number is built on sand. And here’s why. Every major court defeat creates what political strategists call competency erosion. So this is what they tried and failed with Trump, with all the federal injunctions issued against him since January.

With competency erosion, voters start questioning whether a candidate can actually deliver, whether he can actually govern effectively. When Texas passed similar deep fake restrictions, they carefully crafted that legislation to withstand constitutional scrutiny. Whereas Gavin Newsom just ran through these laws. I mean, California already has existing defamation, fraud and privacy laws that could address actual harmful deep fakes. They also have political advertising disclosure requirements for AI generated content. But instead of using these scalpel like tools, Newsom chose the sledgehammer approach and he got smacked down by a federal court. Judge Mendes specifically noted that counter speech, not censorship, is the appropriate remedy for political satire.

It’s a direct rebuke of Newsom’s utterly ridiculous, politically illiterate instincts. Here’s the truth about those polling numbers for Newsom. 25% support in a Democrat primary means 75% of Democrats want someone else. Pete Buttigig is holding steady at about 16%. Kamala Harris still has an 11% support despite her catastrophic 2024 defeat. The timing could not be worse for Newsom. Just as he’s trying to establish himself as the anti-Trump fighter Democrats want, he gets exposed to someone who can’t even craft basic constitutional legislation. Every campaign speech, every debate answer, every media parents will now have to address why he tried to ban political satire in America.

Add to this the fact that coastal elites are by and large political disasters in presidential campaigns. Just as Mitt Romney or John Kerry, coastal elites are political disasters. They cannot win the working class vote and swing states are inordinately working class. So I think in many ways Gavin Newsom’s presidential aspirations already collapsing before he even gets started and this court smackdown he got yesterday certainly ain’t gonna help. So what do you guys think? Let me know in the comments down below and as always make sure to smack that bell and subscribe button for breaking news and analysis.

You’re not going to hear anywhere else. Have a wonderful, wonderful Labor Day weekend. God bless. [tr:trw].

See more of Dr. Steve Turley on their Public Channel and the MPN Dr. Steve Turley channel.