Is California Governor Gavin Newsom the scrappy underdog he claims to be, or is there more to the story behind his well-polished tale of struggle?
The New York Post reported that Newsom has built a political persona around a childhood of financial hardship, but his family’s ties to billionaire wealth and privilege have raised eyebrows among those skeptical of his narrative.
From an early age, Newsom’s life was shaped by a family split, with his mother, just 19 and pregnant, divorcing his father when he was a toddler. She reportedly worked multiple jobs—sometimes two and a half at once—to keep the family afloat.
He’s often painted this picture of grit, mentioning constant roommates to cover rent and even sleeping on a couch while his sister took the hallway.
Newsom has shared vivid memories of a modest upbringing, like eating simple meals of macaroni and cheese and Wonder Bread while his mother hustled. “My mom was 19, pregnant and divorced a few years later, with two kids. Came from no money and just hustled,” he said on the “All The Smoke” podcast.
But let’s pause—while these stories tug at the heartstrings, they seem to clash with other chapters of his life. How does a kid from such dire straits end up at a private Catholic school like École Notre Dame des Victoires for kindergarten and first grade? That’s not exactly the hallmark of a lower-middle-class grind.
Then there’s the other side of the family tree—his father, William Newsom, wasn’t just any dad scraping by. A former associate justice on the California Court of Appeals, William managed legal affairs for the Getty family’s billion-dollar empire and even played a role in delivering ransom money during the infamous kidnapping of John Paul Getty III.
William’s deep ties to the Gettys didn’t exactly scream “struggling household,” even if he faced financial setbacks after a failed 1968 Senate run left him in debt and without a law practice. That hiccup aside, the connection to such wealth raises questions about how “humble” the Newsom household truly was.
Fast forward to Newsom’s own career launch—after graduating from Santa Clara University, he started the PlumpJack Group, a boutique winery, with none other than Gordon Getty as a financial backer. For a man who claims to have been raised on grit and hustle, that’s quite the silver spoon to start a business with.
Newsom’s defenders argue he’s been upfront about navigating two worlds—one of his mother’s hard work and another of his father’s elite circles.
“Anyone with more than an inch of curiosity would know that Governor Newsom was raised by his mother after her divorce from his father when he was 3 years old,” a spokesperson told The Post.
Yet, that explanation feels like a convenient sidestep when Newsom’s public image leans so heavily on the “hustling” trope to connect with everyday voters. If you’re constantly talking up sleeping on couches, shouldn’t the Getty-sized elephant in the room get a mention too?
Even personal anecdotes, like Newsom’s playful jab at Vice President JD Vance with a high school photo of himself in a fancy scarf, suggest a level of polish and privilege not quite aligned with the hardscrabble life he describes. That scarf wasn’t exactly thrift-store chic.
Critics of progressive politicians often point out this kind of selective storytelling—crafting a narrative to fit the audience while glossing over inconvenient truths.
Newsom’s dyslexia struggles and his mother’s undeniable hard work deserve respect, but they don’t erase the other half of the picture.
Look, no one’s denying that a single mom working multiple jobs faces real challenges, and Newsom’s early years likely had their share of tough moments.
But when you’re a governor with a platform, every story you tell is a political tool, and voters deserve the full context—not just the parts that play well in a podcast.