The conversation with Gov. Gavin Newsom was moderated by “Pod Save America” hosts Jon Favreau, center, and Tommy Vietor. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

Gov. Gavin Newsom joined “Pod Save America” hosts Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor on stage at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on March 3 for a wide-ranging discussion on current political events and his new memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry.” The event was organized by Writers Bloc Presents, a nonprofit founded in 1996 by Beverly Hills resident Andrea Grossman.

The discussion was billed as a book talk on Newsom’s memoir, which details his early life, struggles with dyslexia, relationship with his family members and early venture into politics. He said the book helped him discover his true identity and reckon with aspects of his early life he never understood until now.

“Oscar Wilde says, ‘the first duty in life is to strike a pose, the second duty no one knows.’ I feel like I’m in that second phase,” Newsom said. “The first phase, I struck a pose. I put a mask on my face and was growing into it in some respects.”

While the memoir ends with his inauguration as California’s 40th governor in 2019, Favreau and Vietor wasted no time in pressing Newsom on his response to current issues, including the war in Iran, the upcoming California gubernatorial election and his political rivalry with President Donald Trump.

Newsom decried the strikes in Iran, stating that Trump has “no plan” for the future of the country. He also questioned the future of the United States’ relationship with Israel under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The issue of Bibi is interesting, because he’s got his own domestic issues. He’s trying to stay out of jail,” Newsom said. “He’s got an election coming up. He’s potentially on the ropes. He’s got folks – the hard line – that want to annex the West Bank.”

Newsom also cited New York Times opinion writer Thomas Friedman, who argued that the war in Iran could enable Netanyahu to “make Israel an apartheid state.”

“Friedman and others are talking about it appropriately as sort of an apartheid state,” Newsom said. “We’re talking about regime change? For two years they haven’t even been able to solve the Hamas question in Israel.”

Newsom also weighed in on the upcoming governor’s race in California, supporting the notion that some Democratic candidates should drop out to support the party’s chances of defeating a Republican candidate in the general election.

“At this moment in history, with all the peril and promise that marks this moment, for California, the most un-Trump state in America to have a Republican Trumper … there is no margin for error,” he said.

The discussion was not without interruption. At least three protesters stood up in the audience at different times and shouted about ICE detention centers and private prisons, alleging that Newsom was not doing enough to help Californians. The demonstrators were removed by security.

Newsom responded by highlighting his approval of Assembly Bill 32 in 2019, which banned private, for-profit prisons in California.

“I appreciate the advocacy,” Newsom said. “I appreciate people standing up. All of us have that responsibility. All of us have that role to play.”