Newsom said “it’s deeply unfair” for trans athletes to compete in women’s sports, touting the GOP for “being able to weaponize” the issue—a nod to political ads highlighting Kamala Harris’ support for publicly funded gender-transition medical care for federal prisoners and jailed migrants—adding “that’s easy to call out, the unfairness of that.”

Newsom also expressed sympathy for trans people, noting “there’s also a humility and a grace, that these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression.”

Newsom made the comments in a conversation with right-wing media personality Charlie Kirk in the debut episode of the governor’s podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom.”