After backpedaling on threatening rhetoric, Newsom says his political strategy is unchanged

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters Charlie Kirk’s assassination has not changed the way he plans to approach campaigning, even after dropping a threatening name for an upcoming anti-Trump campaign. 

The rally was originally called the “FAFO50” campaign, a reference to the phrase “F— around and find out,” which is a slang warning meaning “if you keep doing something, you’ll regret it.”

“DONALD TRUMP IS F—— AROUND. NOW HE’LL FIND OUT,” the campaign’s marketing materials read before they were changed, according to archived images of the campaign’s website, as well as screenshots from the campaign’s official X account. The website for the campaign, which is aimed at passing an anti-gerrymandering ballot measure called Proposition 50, was ultimately changed from “FAFO50.com” to “YesOn50Live.com.” 

“FAFO” messaging on the campaign’s website and social media account was also removed, and a related event was subsequently referred to as a “Voter Registration Day Rally” on the campaign’s social media. 

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During an event promoting a new initiative to improve the well-being of young men and boys on Tuesday, Newsom was asked whether the rebrand was part of a changing calculus for the governor on how he intends to approach campaigning going forward.

“No,” Newsom insisted. “Because I’m the same guy that walked on the tarmac with Donald Trump. I’m the same guy that would pick up his phone call. I’m the same person that sat down not just with Charlie Kirk, but with Steve Bannon, with the guy who created this space, you know, ‘Language, Borders and Culture,’ Michael Savage, back in the ’90s, you know, was the dominant voice on talk radio. The person that sat down with Newt Gingrich, who was one of the leaders of my recall. I’m that same person.”

Newsom’s response followed a different question about the California governor’s new initiative supporting young men and boys. The governor was asked whether Kirk’s death played any role, or inspired the governor, in shaping the newly announced initiative, which builds on efforts Newsom initiated through a statewide executive order he signed earlier this summer.  

“I appreciate the question. I mean, I believe in civility. I believe in an open hand, not a closed fist,” Newsom responded. “I just think, at the end of the day — I said it inside a moment ago — divorce is not an option, period. Full stop. We’ve got to live together, across our differences, and there are a lot of differences in this state, this nation, for that matter, the world we’re trying to build.”

The nature of political discourse in the United States has become a major point of debate following Kirk’s assassination that occurred last week. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have called on others to “turn down the heat” in the wake of Kirk’s assassination. 

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The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) put out a call for “the media, leftist groups, and sanctuary politicians” on Wednesday to tone down the “hateful rhetoric” targeting immigration enforcement officers, arguing it has contributed to “political violence in our country and a more than 1000% increase in assaults against our brave ICE law enforcement.” 

“This demonization is inspiring violence across the country,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin warned. “We have to turn down the temperature before someone else is killed.”

One example cited by DHS were comments by Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a member of the cohort of progressive lawmakers on Capitol Hill known as “the squad.” During an interview with MSNBC on Sunday, Crockett likened ICE officers to slave catchers. “As someone who understands history, when I see ICE, I see slave patrols,” Crockett said.

Meanwhile, rhetoric from Newsom’s “Voter Registration Day Rally” similarly likened Republican-led redistricting efforts to “pre-Jim Crow” era policies. 

“It’s about knowing that you can walk outside your home and not be detained and deported, not be lynched, because of the color of your skin,” California state legislator, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, said during the Tuesday night virtual rally promoting her state’s Proposition 50. “[Republicans] are doing every single thing that they can to take us back to pre-Jim Crow. And I am not being hyperbolic.”

Fox News Digital did not receive a response after reaching out to Newsom’s office and campaign team to see if the governor, or any of his representatives, wanted to comment further about the decision to rebrand Tuesday night’s event promoting Proposition 50 and the broader issue of inflammatory political rhetoric following Kirk’s assassination.