If Gavin Newsom thought he was stepping into a cushy, left-leaning lovefest on Real Time with Bill Maher, he got a rude awakening — and fast.

Instead of a softball session to hawk his latest book and swipe at conservatives, Newsom found himself on the receiving end of a surprisingly sharp grilling from none other than Bill Maher — a guy who’s previously floated him as presidential material.

Maher wasted no time zeroing in on the issues Californians actually care about — the ones Sacramento Democrats tend to gloss over. Think sky-high gas prices, punishing rents, and a cost of living that’s sending residents packing for red states in droves.

Newsom tried the well-worn spin: “Good! Fourth largest economy. Let’s go!” Sure, Gavin — if GDP bragging rights paid the rent.

Maher wasn’t having it. He cut straight to the reality check most Californians are living daily: “Well… are they going to say good about gas prices? Are they going to say good about how high their rents are? So many people live…I mean there’s a whole litany.”

Then came the moment that likely made Newsom wish for a commercial break — California’s infamous high-speed rail boondoggle. Years behind schedule, wildly over budget, and now ballooning to a staggering $231 billion, it’s become the poster child for government excess.

Maher hit him: “I mean the train! Gavin, you got to get rid of the train! I say this as a friend, you got to let that train go! Let the train go.”

The jab landed. Newsom, usually polished and quick on his feet, appeared caught off guard as the reality of the project’s spiraling costs hit the conversation head-on.

And why wouldn’t it? The rail project has become a political albatross — a shiny promise turned fiscal nightmare, emblematic of a state government that critics say is big on ambition and short on execution.

Newsom didn’t concede an inch.

The interview veered into national politics, where Newsom took predictable swings at Donald Trump, blaming him for the country’s divisions: “He’s not doing anything to try to unite this country in any way, shape, or form. To me, that’s the biggest reflection of this moment, just the sewer we’re now living in because of Donald Trump.”

But Maher, again playing the unlikely truth-teller, flipped the script.

“But many people would say that you are imitating him… You are the one who kind of imitates his style with the trolling,” he said, pointing to Newsom’s own combative antics — including threats to sue media outlets.

Newsom doubled down: “Fox better look to settle right now or apologize for defamation.”

Maher’s response? A perfectly timed reality check: “OK but that sounds exactly like what he does. Suing media?”

That’s the problem in a nutshell. Newsom wants to paint himself as the anti-Trump — but increasingly, even friendly voices are noticing the similarities in tone, style, and appetite for political brawling.

For a governor long touted as a future White House contender, this wasn’t exactly a breakout moment. It was something closer to a televised intervention — a reminder that even allies are starting to question the gap between California’s glossy image and its gritty reality.

And when your own side starts telling you to scrap a $231 billion train dream on national TV?

You might want to listen.