California’s governor just proved once again that political theater is his calling card, not leadership, and conservatives should be furious. This week Dave Rubin exposed a direct-message clip showing Gov. Gavin Newsom scrambling to change his story on national television after Elex Michaelson called him out about comments he’d made regarding his son and Charlie Kirk.

The contradiction is plain for anyone willing to look: in earlier footage Newsom boasted that his kid begged to stay up and see Charlie Kirk, painting the encounter as proof Kirk “was making a damn dent” with young people, while on CNN he pivoted to saying his son was merely “familiar” with Kirk and not a fan. That flip?flop isn’t a nuance — it’s a politician posturing for whichever audience he’s in that hour.

Worse, Newsom tried to weaponize the tragic aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination into yet another sermon about how Democrats care for young men, even as he rewrites the very anecd he used to justify the soft?shoe interview. Conservatives don’t forget when the left selectively performs grief or sympathy, then quietly backtracks when the optics shift; the backlash is deserved.

This is exactly why independent conservative media matters — Rubin and others didn’t let the governor get away with the sleight of hand. Watching the clip, Americans can see the disconnect between Newsom’s polished prepackaged image and the reality of a man who changes his story when caught on camera, and that’s a scandal in plain sight.

Patriots who work hard and love this country shouldn’t be placated by politicians who perform authenticity while lying to our faces. Voters must demand accountability, stop rewarding theatrical politicians with soft interviews, and insist on governors who actually solve problems instead of staging PR stunts.