California Governor Gavin Newsom is once again facing scrutiny over his privileged upbringing after a passage in his own book inadvertently revealed that he laments that the luxury car his father gave him for his 16th birthday wasn’t brand new.
As Newsom quietly lays the groundwork for a 2028 presidential run, he has ramped up efforts to portray himself as moderate, relatable, and middle-class.
But excerpts from his book “Young Man in a Hurry,” combined with recent reporting to fill in the gaps, tell a different story.
In the book, Newsom recounts how his father, the late Judge William Newsom, promised him a new car if he never smoked.
“He once said if I never took up the habit of smoking, he would buy me a new car when I turned sixteen,” Newsom wrote.
“He even wrote down the promise on a business card I kept.
“I never smoked, but he never came through with the new car, though he did make good on a lease for a used one that I drove to college.”
However, the detail that Newsom conveniently left out was that the “used” vehicle was reportedly a Porsche.
Rolex, Porsche, and ‘Alien-Abduction Theories’
RealClear journalist Susan Crabtree noted on X that Newsom was known to drive a Porsche around Santa Clara University’s campus and wear a Rolex, citing sources who confirmed the details.
Yes – I have sources confirming that @GavinNewsom drove a Porsche around campus and wore a Rolex in college.
As I previously reported, one Santa Clara University baseball player’s only memory of Newsom and his short-lived college baseball experience (a few months at most) was… https://t.co/MUwXIqsTbU pic.twitter.com/OT5yo25CLp
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) February 28, 2026
Crabtree previously reported that one former Santa Clara baseball player recalled Newsom losing his Rolex outside the dugout as his most memorable moment.
When Crabtree pressed for records from Newsom’s college years through his communications director, Izzy Gardon, she received a combative response.
Gardon reportedly dismissed questions about the Porsche as belonging “in the same category as alien-abduction theories.”
In a separate exchange over documentation of Newsom’s dyslexia diagnosis, Gardon responded with a vulgar remark: “Respectfully, f**k off.”
Gardon later told this outlet the remark had been approved by Crabtree’s “mother.”
The Getty Connection
Newsom’s upbringing has become a flashpoint as he seeks national office.
In interviews, he has attempted to present his childhood as complicated, describing a single mother who struggled financially while also acknowledging access to wealth through his father’s close ties to the Getty family.
“I’m not trying to be something I’m not,” Newsom said in a recent interview, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times.
“I’m not trying to talk about, you know, ‘I was born in a town called Hope with no running water.’
“That’s not what this book is about.
“But it’s a very different portrayal than the one I think 9 out of 10 people believe.”
The reality of his formative years, however, reflects proximity to extraordinary wealth.
Gordon Getty once took Newsom to meet the King of Spain aboard the family’s private jet, known as “Jetty.”
The future governor reportedly wore a tailored Brioni suit.
The Gettys also took him on safari in Africa, where he flew over the Serengeti in a hot air balloon.
In Canada’s Hudson Bay, he flew by helicopter to watch polar bears.
They took him fishing in Oregon.
On one European yacht trip, he wore a tuxedo and pretended to be James Bond.
After arriving by gondola at a Venetian palazzo, actor Jack Nicholson reportedly mistook him for one of the “Getty boys.”
Newsom later held the reception for his wedding to Kimberly Guilfoyle at the Getty mansion, where the couple also posed for Vogue.
Political Dynasty Ties
Newsom’s family network extends beyond the Getty fortune.
His cousins are the nieces and nephews of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
His father described the Newsom family as a “clan of 46 attorneys.”
The family was closely intertwined with the Brown political dynasty that produced California Governors Pat Brown and Jerry Brown.
At age 24, Newsom was photographed alongside Andrew Getty and Billy Getty in a San Francisco magazine feature headlined “Children of the Rich.”
Tim Young of the Heritage Foundation summed up the optics succinctly:
“Life is hard when you’re super wealthy.”
PlumpJack and Political Lift
Not long after that magazine profile, Newsom launched a wine store called “PlumpJack,” named after an opera composed by Gordon Getty.
The Getty family invested in the business, which expanded into wineries, restaurants, and hotels.
Although Newsom has emphasized overcoming academic struggles, he does not mention in his book that he received a letter of recommendation from a family friend and then-California Governor Jerry Brown to attend Santa Clara University, where he played baseball on a partial scholarship.
Voters Skeptical
As Newsom attempts to brand himself as relatable, critics argue the biography tells another story.
“It’s so gross,” said Steve Hilton, California Republican gubernatorial candidate.
“It’s an elite bubble he’s been in, and it’s a pathetic attempt to pander to people.
“I think it’s going to turn people off massively.”
Whether voters accept Newsom’s self-portrait as “just like you” may ultimately determine whether his 2028 ambitions gain traction or stall under the weight of a life steeped in wealth and political power.
READ MORE – Gavin Newsom Says He Can Relate to Black People Because He ‘Can’t Read’
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