Gavin Newsom Wants It. Do Democrats?

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Plus: A toast to ‘East of Eden’; ‘Digger’; Lagerfeld’s shadow at Chanel; Trump’s government-funded campaign commercials

September 30, 2026

Have you perhaps thought some unkind thoughts about Gavin Newsom in the last, oh, 20-odd years? The governor of California is aware. He knows you think he’s too slick; he knows you’re wondering how he could lead the nation when the Golden State is still a hotbed of income inequality, homelessness, and people who say “hella.” Still, he makes the case for himself in a new profile by Joe Hagan. The story is stuffed with rich detail and quotes like this on whether Newsom considers himself part of the establishment: “Well, I’m not. I’m not. I mean, I’ve been at this awhile. To the extent I’m established, in that context—but I’m notoriously a disrupter at heart. I’ve never been for the status quo. Quite the contrary. I have a record that consistently challenges the status quo, and I tend to take risks to a degree that few elected officials do.” Read the whole thing, then decide whether you’re going to take him at his word.


Elsewhere, I review Tom Cruise’s new movie (the TL;DR: bad, but in a sort of interesting way?); the White House tells Savannah Walsh, with a straight face, that Trump’s new ads are “not political;” and Chris Murphy takes us inside the party VF threw to toast to our new cover star, Florence Pugh. (Well, technically he takes you inside; I was actually there too.) More tomorrow!


HILLARY BUSIS
FEATURES EDITOR

As the governor looks beyond California, he opens up about his political ambitions, his vision for the country, and why he's chosen Bill Clinton as his 2028 spirit animal. Read more

SCENE REPORT

Florence Pugh, Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano, Vanity Fair, and More Toast to East of Eden

 

By Chris Murphy

 

Ahead of East of Eden’s premiere, an intimate crowd gathered at San Vicente in New York to toast to Zoe Kazan’s adaptation of Steinbeck’s novel starring Vanity Fair’s latest cover star. Read more

HOLLYWOOD

 

Digger, Tom Cruise’s Comeback Vehicle, Is Haunted by the Ghost of the Old Tom Cruise

 

By Hillary Busis

 

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new film is the most interesting movie Cruise has made in 15 years—but it might not spark the renaissance Cruise seems to hope it will. Read more

BOOKS

 

Virginie Viard Details Her Relationship With Karl Lagerfeld and Being Haunted by His Memory

 

By Olivier Bouchara

 

In a bombshell book, Un regard: Une vie chez Chanel, the former artistic director of Chanel describes the devastation of being reduced to an “intermission” and painstakingly attempts to carve out her own place in the fashion house’s history. Read more

NEWS

 

The Widow’s Peak

 

By Clara Molot

 

One year after Charlie Kirk’s murder, the MAGA movement is fracturing and the future of Turning Point USA—the influential and lucrative conservative youth organization he founded at 18—is uncertain. His politically reluctant widow now finds herself both its leader and a victim of the conspiracy mentality Kirk fomented. With unprecedented access to her world, Clara Molot set out to answer the question: Who is Erika Kirk? Read more

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posted by Francis Dwight at 3:06 PM 0 comments

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posted by Francis Dwight at 7:21 AM 0 comments