Donald Trump Jr.'s former lover, Kimberly Guilfoyle, helped set up an interview for California governor Gavin Newsom (D) as he attempts to pivot to the political middle for a possible White House run.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a guest on the first episode of Newsom's new podcast, credited Guilfoyle, a longtime Trump supporter and Newsom's ex-wife, with arranging the interview.
It comes as term-limited Newsom is facing political uncertainty, with criticism pouring in over his handling of the Los Angeles wildfires in January.
Despite his reliably liberal politics, Newsom has made occasional gestures of moderation, leading some to label him a shrewd operator in comparison to some of the "woke" ideologues on his side.
He faced backlash over his chat with Kirk, which Newsom used to distance himself from the Democratic party's unpopular backing of males in women's sports.
Guilfoyle was married to Newsom when he was mayor of San Francisco in the 2000s. After their divorce in 2006, Newsom went on to become one of the most famous progressives in the country while Guilfoyle joined Fox News and eventually entered President Trump's inner circle, getting engaged to his eldest son Donald Jr.
Newsom and Guilfoyle traded barbs in 2023, with Newsom claiming Guilfoyle "fell prey" to right-wing media culture while Guilfoyle said it was Newsom who changed.
"I didn’t change, [Newsom] did," Guilfoyle told Kirk at the time. "He used to be so proud to fight for small business, for entrepreneurs, for those hard-working men and women. And he’s fallen prey to the left, the radical left, that is pushing him so far to the left that it's unrecognizable."
Guilfoyle also predicted at the time that Newsom would run for president against Donald Trump in 2024. Newsom instead deferred to President Biden, who crashed and burned in his only debate with Trump, who went on to defeat vice president Kamala Harris.
As Democrats wander through the post-election wilderness, Newsom is widely seen as a 2028 presidential contender. Guilfoyle, despite her strained past with Newsom, apparently threw him a lifeline.
"I got a phone call from Governor Newsom two weeks ago, we connected through Kimberly Guilfoyle - obviously, they have a shared past... ," Kirk told Fox 11 when asked about the podcast appearance.
"This is a guy who wants to be President more than any other human being alive," Kirk added.
Guilfoyle's engagement to Donald Trump Jr. unraveled last year as reports of Trump Jr.'s affair with his current girlfriend, Bettina Anderson, emerged.
While the president's son has never addressed the breakup directly, he struck an amicable tone to PageSix, saying he shares a "special bond" with Guilfoyle, who was recently appointed by President Trump to be the U.S. ambassador to Greece.
