California Gov. Gavin Newsom told a press conference on Wednesday that the coronavirus crisis provided an opportunity to usher in “a progressive era” through policy changes that shift American society away from capitalism.

A reporter with Bloomberg News asked Newsom whether he saw “the potential, as many others in the [Democratic] Party do, for a new progressive era, if you want to call it that, in national politics and policy … and whether there’s the opportunity for additionally progressive steps … on the national and state level.”

The California Globe reported Newsom’s response:

The governor admittedly gave a long-winded answer which culminated in, “yes,” admitting there is political opportunity born out of the pandemic. “There is opportunity for reimagining a [more] progressive era as it [relates] to capitalism,” Gov. Newsom said. “So yes, absolutely we see this as an opportunity to reshape the way we do business and how we govern.”

The question and answer are from 51:47 to 55:13 in the video below:

Governor @GavinNewsom provides an update on California's response to the #COVID19 outbreak. https://t.co/iE3RgilZ82 — Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) April 1, 2020

U.S. House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) said before the passage of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill last month: “This is a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision.”

Newsom has earned praise from President Donald Trump for his handling of the crisis — and vice versa.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.