California Governor Gavin Newsom is under scrutiny after CNN aired a segment Thursday night contradicting his recent claim that neither he nor his office has ever used the term “Latinx” — a term that has become increasingly controversial within the Hispanic community.
During an appearance on Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk’s podcast earlier this week, Newsom insisted that he or his administration had never used the far-left term. But CNN’s Erin Burnett and KFile senior editor Andrew Kaczynski quickly proved otherwise, highlighting multiple occasions when Newsom used “Latinx” in official communications and public statements.
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“But there was a person who used Latinx — it was actually a very important person. It was him,” Burnett said during the segment.
Kaczynski added, “These aren’t minor shifts. These are progressive issues that Gavin Newsom used to champion until fairly recently, and now he’s not just walking away from them — he’s sort of acting like they were never legitimate.”
CNN’s segment featured clips and screenshots of Newsom using the term as recently as January 2023, when he criticized Republican lawmakers for focusing on banning “Latinx” instead of addressing gun violence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Newsom repeatedly used the term in press briefings on July 22, Aug. 3, and Aug. 10, 2020, particularly when addressing the virus’s impact on Hispanic communities.
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In one July 2020 tweet, Newsom stated: “COVID-19 disproportionately impacts the Latinx community,” citing $52 million allocated for testing and contact tracing in those communities. Another April 2019 post noted that 31% of “Latinx” children in California were living in poverty.
Additionally, his official X account described singer and activist Becky G as a “global Latinx superstar” during a voter engagement campaign in October 2020.
The Term’s Backlash and Polling
Despite progressive circles pushing the use of “Latinx” as a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina, the term is widely unpopular among the community it is meant to represent. According to a Pew Research poll released in September 2024, 75% of Hispanic Americans who had heard of the term said it should not be used. Only 12% saw it as a positive descriptor.
The same poll found that many Latinos view the term as unnecessary and culturally out-of-touch, criticizing it as a linguistic imposition from progressive elites.
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Newsom’s Shifting Political Tone
Newsom’s denial of using “Latinx” is the latest example of what some analysts say is a broader effort by the California governor to reposition himself politically amid speculation about his future on the national stage.
During the same podcast interview, Newsom also appeared to distance himself from his previous support for transgender participation in women’s sports — another issue where he has faced backlash. While he told Kirk that “men competing in women’s sports is unfair,” he has signed several pro-transgender bills into law, including a 2024 measure allowing male students who identify as female to compete in girls’ sports and use opposite-sex facilities.
The governor’s shifting rhetoric has drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle. Conservatives accuse him of hypocrisy and political opportunism, while progressives worry that he’s abandoning core values under pressure.
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“Newsom is trying to have it both ways — claiming moderation while his legislative record says otherwise,” said one California political analyst.
As 2026 and 2028 electoral speculation swirls, the contrast between Newsom’s past actions and current rhetoric may continue to invite scrutiny — not only from political opponents but also from media outlets like CNN that were once considered friendlier territory.
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