What Newsom said about Obama, Biden, Harris, Clinton on "The Axios Show"

What he's saying: Newsom shared that he sought advice last summer from President Obama on Proposition 50. He was surprised by the former president's frank support of the measure, which passed last year and allowed lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional map.

• He cited his deep respect for former President Biden including during his exit from the 2024 race.
• Newsom also briefly skirted around questions about his rivalry with Harris, a longtime fellow California politician and another potential frontrunner for 2028.

Here's what Newsom said about his fellow politicians.

Obama

Zoom in: Newsom said he's had the "privilege of being on a number of phone calls and conversations" with Obama — including one centered around Proposition 50.

• "I remember calling him very nervous when I was seeking his advice. It wasn't even approval or support, it was just advice," Newsom said.

Newsom admitted he was worried how Obama would respond to the governor's aggressive push for Prop 50 given the "when they go low, we go high" mantra championed by former First Lady Michelle Obama. He also cited Obama's work around independent redistricting.

• "I didn't even get into the conversation. And he says, 'I just want to let you know, I like what you're saying on this and I hope you do this."
• Newsom credits the measure for netting Democrats five U.S. House seats.
• He emphasized that his party needs to be "more ruthless" in the Trump era, as the president pushes to reshape elections.

Biden

Newsom defended Biden's presidential record, saying the former president "deserves some more recognition" than he receives due to his "masterclass of policymaking," pointing to the CHIPS and Science Act, Biden's $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Inflation Reduction Act and other legislation.

• "And I happily will take the arrows on that and defend that," Newsom said.
• Biden "delivered tough bills, many of them in a bipartisan way," Newsom said.
• "I'm blessed to have gotten to know him, to defend him and defend his character, and continue to defend his record."

Newsom also suggested that his father and Biden share many similarities, including their adoration for Seamus Heaney, an Irish poet and playwright.

• "I see my father in so many ways the way I see President Biden," he said.
• He said he's checked in with Biden about his health issues, which, he said, "have obviously accelerated and become more real."

Harris

Newsom danced around his reported rivalry with Harris in his "Axios Show" interview.

• The California governor called it "preposterous" when asked why he and Harris don't like each other. But he acknowledged Harris took a shot at him in her bestselling book "107 Days" last year.
• "I think it created some color for the book," Newsom said, referring to Harris' claim that he didn't return her call when then-President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race.
• "It certainly helped her book sales — not my component part, but that book has done unbelievably well," Newsom added.

Newsom acknowledged that he views his relationship with Harris in the context of their long history in the same political space.

• "I also have known my relationship to that relationship — that when she goes, she goes first," he told Axios.

Clinton

Newsom addressed MS Now political commentator Chris Hayes' comparison of Newsom to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — saying that Newsom is perceived as "the libbiest lib who ever lived."

• "I appreciate the compliment, Hillary's a remarkable superstar," he said.
• But "I'm not going to allow people to categorize something I'm not."

Newsom praised Clinton in the interview, calling her a "remarkable superstar."

• "I am familiar with Hillary Clinton and I have mad respect for her."

The California governor says he supports some of her political views, too.

• "I believe in the spirit of Clinton: community, opportunity, but also —Democrats, we need to talk about it — responsibility."

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