Kimmel, Newsom Denounce 'California Derangement Syndrome'

Alex Christy
March 4th, 2026 2:16 PM

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday for what felt like preparation for a 2028 presidential bid. Both men denounced what they called “California Derangement Syndrome," and despite Newsom comparing himself to PolitiFact, Kimmel did not fact-check him when he told a pants-on-fire falsehood about California’s taxes.

At one point during the three-segment interview, Kimmel wondered, “Sometimes I hear people talking about California, and I wonder, like, where are they getting this? Where are they getting this?”

Newsom immediately went on the attack, “Well, Fox derangement. I mean, It’s 24/7, the California Derangement Syndrome. It's through these propaganda networks focusing on what's wrong every single day. And there’s an old adage, ‘You're nothing more than your consistent thoughts.’ Whatever you focus on, you find more of.”

 

 

According to Newsom, conservatives focus on California because “our success runs completely contrary to their entire worldview. The fact that California's the fourth-largest economy in the world. Has more scientists, engineers, more Nobel laureates. The finest system of higher education. More venture capital than any other state in America.”

While Newsom patted himself on the back for being the governor of a state with a large population, Kimmel added, “It's the best state. It is the best state.”

Newsom agreed and also played the race card, “It's also—and, you know, this is part of it. It's also the most diverse state in the United States of America, 27 percent of this state's foreign-born. And that offends these guys.”

He then told his tax whopper, “Yes, it has a progressive tax code, but it's very different in the tax systems than places like Texas and Florida that tax their lowest-wage earners more than we tax our highest-wage earners. The question is, who is the high-tax state?”

California. California has tremendously high income taxes while Texas and Florida have none. It also has the highest sales tax in the country.

Kimmel then sought to dive into California’s problems as if decades of Democratic governance isn’t responsible for those problems, “Now, we do have problems with—there are people living on the streets. And this is something every governor, every mayor comes in and says 'this is what I’m going to work on. This is number one' and it seems like—is this an unsolvable problem?”

As Newsom tried to take credit for “real progress” on the issue, he added, “At the same time, and you saw this last year with the numbers nationally, it went up 18.13 nationally. But California, finally on the other side, seeing real progress.”

 

 

While Kimmel marveled at the inclusion of the decimals, Newsom bragged, “Well, I mean, it's an exact number, but, I mean, it's, you know, I'm PolitiFact all the time.”

Kimmel, who claims to love facts, did not fact-check Newsom’s earlier tax fable, and so far, neither has the actual PolitiFact.

As it was, Kimmel did wonder, “Why does it take so long to get things built here? I feel like—is California overregulated?”

It would have been nice if Kimmel had also brought up Newsom’s high-speed rail obsession, because without Newsom’s response sounded more reasonable than it should have, “No, I mean, we need a liberalism that builds, and we have to own that. I'm very much part of this, sort of, new nomenclature, we call this abundance agenda. We've got to reconcile that. We’ve got to be more focused on time to delivery… We tried to address land use reforms, what we call CEQA reforms. We were finally able to get it done this year in a meaningful way, but this is a meaningful topic for Democrats to recognize. We have to deliver on big and bold things. Trump breaks things. Democrats need to build things. But we have to actually deliver on that promise and that reform.”

Another fact-check: Politico reported on Tuesday that the best-case, but highly unlikely, scenario for Newsom’s high-speed rail line between Bakersfield and Merced will be completed 12 years behind schedule.

Here is a transcript for the March 3-taped show:

ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live!

3/4/2026

12:00 AM ET

JIMMY KIMMEL: Sometimes I hear people talking about California, and I wonder, like, where are they getting this? Where are they getting this?

GAVIN NEWSOM: Well, Fox derangement. I mean, It’s 24/7, the California Derangement Syndrome. It's through these propaganda networks focusing on what's wrong every single day. And there’s an old adage, "You're nothing more than your consistent thoughts." Whatever you focus on, you find more of.

And these networks have really honed in on California for one reason: our success runs completely contrary to their entire worldview. The fact that California's the fourth-largest economy in the world. Has more scientists, engineers, more Nobel laureates. The finest system of higher education. More venture capital than any other state in America.

KIMMEL: We’ve got the TMZ tour.

NEWSOM: We've got the TMZ tours.

KIMMEL: Not that we don't have problems. We do have problems.

NEWSOM: We have problems but there's an energy, a daring and an entrepreneurialism—

KIMMEL: It's the best state. It is the best state.

NEWSOM: Yeah, come on. And you know, it's also—and, you know, this is part of it. It's also the most diverse state in the United States of America, 27 percent of this state's foreign-born. And that offends these guys, and it's interesting, I'll stay with universal health care, it's $25 minimum wage for health care workers, $20 minimum wage for fast food workers. Yes, it has a progressive tax code, but it's very different in the tax systems than places like Texas and Florida that tax their lowest-wage earners more than we tax our highest-wage earners. The question is, who is the high-tax state?

KIMMEL: Now, we do have problems with—there are people living on the streets.

NEWSOM: Yeah.

KIMMEL: And this is something every governor, every mayor comes in and says “this is what I’m going to work on. This is number one” and it seems like—is this an unsolvable problem?

NEWSOM: No, it's solvable. This year we did something we haven't done in 15 years and that is we saw close to a double-digit decline in unsheltered homeless. That had not happened in the state of California, down 9 percent. That's progress. We're finally seeing real progress. We're finally seeing it.

But, Jimmy, this is important to know. As a former mayor, the state of California, when I was mayor, the state was not involved in homeless policies and completely abandoned the cities and counties, we were on our own. That’s radically changed since I’ve gotten there.

We've taken responsibility, accountability. We're moving aggressively with the most significant mental health reforms and investments in U.S. history. Same with housing, focusing on encampments, and we're finally, finally, it's a flywheel all these years later, finally seeing real progress. At the same time, and you saw this last year with the numbers nationally, it went up 18.13 nationally. But California, finally on the other side, seeing real progress.

KIMMEL: .13, that's really something. You're really getting into the decimals.

NEWSOM: Well, I mean, it's an exact number, but, I mean, it's, you know, I'm PolitiFact all the time.

KIMMEL: Why does it take so long to get things built here? I feel like—is California overregulated?

NEWSOM: Yes.

KIMMEL: Because it feels there are a lot of well-meaning laws, rules, et cetera that get in the way of building your house, of opening a restaurant. You know, I've experienced this myself. What do we do about that?

NEWSOM: No, I mean, we need a liberalism that builds, and we have to own that. I'm very much part of this, sort of, new nomenclature, we call this abundance agenda. We've got to reconcile that. We’ve got to be more focused on time to delivery. Not just rhetoric. We've got to actually deliver and manifest it. That's why this year we did the most significant housing reforms in our state's history. We did something that hadn't been done in decades.

We tried to address land use reforms, what we call CEQA reforms. We were finally able to get it done this year in a meaningful way, but this is a meaningful topic for Democrats to recognize. We have to deliver on big and bold things. Trump breaks things. Democrats need to build things. But we have to actually deliver on that promise and that reform.

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