{"id":3146,"date":"2026-01-16T20:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T01:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/2026\/01\/grow-a-fcking-spine-critics-fume-as-newsom-backtracks-on-ice-terrorism-in-ben-shapiro-interview\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T20:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T01:00:09","slug":"grow-a-fcking-spine-critics-fume-as-newsom-backtracks-on-ice-terrorism-in-ben-shapiro-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3146","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Grow a F*cking Spine&#8217;: Critics Fume as Newsom Backtracks on ICE &#8216;Terrorism&#8217; in Ben Shapiro Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/california-govern-gavin-newsom-delivers-state-of-the-state-address-in-sacramento.jpg?id=62823640&amp;width=1200&amp;height=400&amp;coordinates=0,105,0,564\"><\/p>\n<p>Amid unprecedented backlash against US <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/immigration\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_self\">Immigration<\/a> and Customs Enforcement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2014considered a leading contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination\u2014is being accused of giving the increasingly violent agency a pass after an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/right-wing\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_self\">right-wing<\/a> pundit Ben Shapiro in which he softened his criticism of ICE.<\/p>\n<p>In recent days, following an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/immigration-and-customs-enforcement\" target=\"_self\"><u>Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/u><\/a> (ICE) agent\u2019s fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good last week in Minneapolis, officers of ICE and other federal agencies have been documented engaging in blatant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/kristi-noem-ice-minneapolis\" target=\"_self\"><u>racial profiling,<\/u><\/a> unconstitutional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/ice-citizen-checks-minneapolis\" target=\"_self\"><u>\u201ccitizenship checks,\u201d<\/u><\/a> and extreme uses of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/trump-minnesota-ice-retribution\" target=\"_self\"><u>physical force<\/u><\/a>, including dragging a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wral.com\/news\/ap\/b277e-federal-immigration-agents-filmed-dragging-a-woman-from-her-car-in-minneapolis\/\" target=\"_blank\">disabled<\/a> US citizen from her car on the way to a doctor&#8217;s appointment, as the <em>Associated Press <\/em>reported Friday.<\/p>\n<p>It is part of a pattern of behavior by ICE that Newsom&#8217;s press office <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GovPressOffice\/status\/2009067671124627833\" target=\"_blank\"><u>described<\/u><\/a> as &#8220;state-sponsored terrorism&#8221; as recently as January 7, when he used the term to describe Good&#8217;s killing by agent Jonathan Ross, who was recorded shooting Good in the head after stepping in front of her vehicle and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/further\/fucking-bitch\" target=\"_self\"><u>referring to her<\/u><\/a> as a &#8220;fucking bitch.&#8221; Agents also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2026\/01\/15\/us\/minneapolis-shooting-ice?unlocked_article_code=1.E1A.r1SR.1RW8tizn3SiI&amp;smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\"><u>obstructed<\/u><\/a> emergency medical services from arriving at the scene of the shooting to assist Good, according to video and eyewitness accounts.<\/p>\n<p>But when questioned by the cantankerous debater Shapiro on his podcast,<em> This is Gavin Newsom <\/em>on Thursday, the governor backed off that forceful description of the agency.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"rm-embed twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"rebelmouse\" data-twitter-tweet-id=\"2011983955181105170\">\n<div style=\"margin:1em 0\"><\/div>\n<p> \u2014  (@)<br \/>\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mattxiv\/status\/2011983955181105170\"><\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour press office tweeted out that it was state-sponsored terrorism, which, I mean, Governor, I just have to ask you about that. That sort of thing makes our politics worse, and it does,\u201d said Shapiro, to which Newsom responded, \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shapiro continued: \u201cOur ICE officers obviously are not terrorists. A tragic situation is not state-sponsored terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, I think that\u2019s fair,\u201d agreed Newsom.<\/p>\n<p>A short clip of that exchange, shared in celebration by Shapiro&#8217;s outlet, <em><em><\/em><\/em>the <em><em>Daily Wire<\/em><\/em>, was met with widespread criticism on social media from those who wanted to see one of the Democratic Party&#8217;s most prominent leaders take an unapologetic stance against ICE.<\/p>\n<p>Mehdi Hasan, founder of the news outlet <em><em>Zeteo,<\/em><\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mehdirhasan\/status\/2012026290875088920\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>questioned<\/u><\/a> why &#8220;Newsom is trying to wreck his otherwise very strong chance of winning the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination by doing this self-destructive podcast where he allows right-wing guests to walk all over him and then promote clips online of them walking all over him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But this clip showed only one of several instances during the nearly two-hour interview in which Newsom rolled over to his guest&#8217;s pro-ICE framing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"rm-embed embed-media\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"315\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hrDpBwpSqSc?si=MTPQRiZkZyhVMJWq&amp;start=1610\" title=\"YouTube video player\" width=\"560\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>When Shapiro interrogated Newsom about California&#8217;s supposed &#8220;sanctuary state&#8221; policy and suggested the state should \u201ccooperate with ICE in the vast majority of cases,\u201d Newsom responded: \u201cThat&#8217;s exactly what they do in California.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Newsom then boasted that there have been \u201cover 10,000\u201d deportations he\u2019s cooperated with since he became governor of California. Though he emphasized that the sanctuary law only allows for the state\u2019s correctional facilities to cooperate with ICE, <a href=\"https:\/\/caimmigrant.org\/what-we-do\/policy\/arrest-to-deportation-pipeline\/\" target=\"_blank\"><u>advocates<\/u><\/a> have criticized it for allowing the deportation of those who were never convicted and those who\u2019ve had their cases dropped. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalifornia has cooperated with more ICE transfers, probably, than any other state in the country,\u201d he continued. \u201cI vetoed multiple pieces of legislation that have come from my legislature to stop the ability for the state of California to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Newsom has indeed vetoed at least two pieces of Democratic legislation that sought to further limit the state\u2019s cooperation with ICE\u2014one in 2023, which <a href=\"https:\/\/laist.com\/news\/politics\/gov-newsom-vetoed-three-bills-including-wide-supported-proposal-against-ice-transfers-of-non-citizen-prisoners\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>would have<\/u><\/a> repealed requirements allowing prisons to transfer noncitizens to ICE custody after they leave prison, and another in 2019, which would have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/california\/article\/prison-immigration-sanctuary-newsom-18362668.php\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>banned<\/u><\/a> private security companies from entering California prisons to transfer people to ICE custody.<\/p>\n<p>Shapiro later questioned Newsom on whether he agreed with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/opinion\/americans-abolish-ice\" target=\"_self\"><u>calls<\/u><\/a> from some Democrats to \u201cabolish\u201d ICE in the wake of the shooting, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/williamjordann\/status\/2011873630691422225\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>including<\/u><\/a> Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), another potential favorite for the 2028 nomination.<\/p>\n<p>Newsom said, \u201cI disagree,\u201d adding, \u201cI believe a candidate for president by the name of Harris said that in the last campaign. I remember being on [<em>All In with <\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/chris-hayes\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_self\">Chris Hayes<\/a><\/em>] hours later saying, \u2018I think that\u2019s a mistake.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While she has been critical of the agency and suggested changing its enforcement priorities, it is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlrn.org\/government-politics\/2024-07-31\/politifact-fl-fact-checking-donald-trumps-false-claim-that-kamala-harris-supported-abolishing-ice\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>untrue<\/u><\/a> that former Vice President Kamala Harris has ever called to \u201cabolish ICE,\u201d even saying as far back as 2018 that \u201cICE has a purpose. ICE has a role, ICE should exist.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>She did not call for ICE to be abolished during the 2024 campaign for president as Newsom suggested, and was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/kamala-harris-immigration\" target=\"_self\"><u>criticized<\/u><\/a> by immigrants\u2019 rights activists for running further to the right on immigration than in years past.<\/p>\n<p>By rejecting calls to abolish ICE, critics noted that Newsom was expressing a position far out of touch with the Democratic base and with a widening segment of the country, which has grown increasingly hostile toward ICE over the past year, and especially in the wake of its actions in Minnesota, which have led <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/opinion\/is-ice-trumps-gestapo\" target=\"_blank\">many to see it<\/a> more as President Donald Trump&#8217;s personal paramilitary force than a legitimate law enforcement agency.<\/p>\n<p>A poll earlier this week by the <em>Economist\/<\/em>YouGov <a href=\"https:\/\/d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net\/documents\/econTabReport_qsNv5iE.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><u>revealed<\/u><\/a> that for the first time ever, \u201cabolishing ICE\u201d had more support (46%) than opposition (43%) among American adults. Among those who said they leaned Democratic, 80% favored abolishing the agency, compared with just 11% who opposed it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is an unbelievably stupid move from Gavin Newsom,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/onehandpolitics\/status\/2012001756524556337\" target=\"_blank\">wrote<\/a> the host of the left-wing talk show <em>One Hand Politics<\/em>, who goes by Mason, in response to the governor&#8217;s rejection of the call to abolish ICE.<\/p>\n<p>He implored Newsom to \u201cgrow a fucking spine and stop chasing Republican moderates that don\u2019t exist. They all hate you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brian Tashman, a political researcher and strategist at the ACLU, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/briantashman\/status\/2012002339100483795\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>noted<\/u><\/a> that Newsom is \u201cnot willing to push back against Ben Shapiro but will push back against labor organizers trying to enact a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/newsom-billionaire-tax\" target=\"_self\"><u>billionaire tax<\/u><\/a> that would affect a few hundred people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Left-wing commentator Joe Mayall saw the interaction as a window into how Newsom might perform in a possible 2028 presidential debate against Vice President JD Vance, widely seen as the Republican who would succeed Trump. <\/p>\n<p>He <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/joewrote\/status\/2012034240804692042\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">wrote<\/a>: \u201cIf you get cooked by Ben Shapiro, you don\u2019t have a chance against Vance.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amid unprecedented backlash against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2014considered a leading contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination\u2014is being accused of giving the increasingly violent agency a pass after an interview with right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro in which he softened his criticism of ICE. In recent days, following an Immigration and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"registered_only","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[742],"class_list":["post-3146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ciencia-y-tecnologia","tag-vr-news-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3146\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}