Newsom lines up resistance to Trump's second term

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is positioning himself as a leader of the Democratic resistance to Trump’s incoming second term, as chatter builds about his potential 2028 ambitions.

Newsom moved quickly to counter the new president-elect in California, declaring the Golden State “ready to fight” and calling a special session of the state legislature to “Trump-proof” progressive policies. He drew Trump’s ire, but doubled down on promises to push back and just proposed a $25 million war chest for anticipated legal battles against the new administration.

Newsom is one of multiple blue state leaders forming a line of defense as Republicans get ready to take power over the White House and Congress next year — and one of several Democratic governors named amid early 2028 speculation. But his steps further into the spotlight are set to come with new scrutiny and pushback that could complicate potential national ambitions.

“He's always been a politician who's been looking for a way forward and a way up. And that presents, I think, some challenges for him as he catapults beyond a cheerleader for Democrats onto the national stage,” said David McCuan, a political science professor at Sonoma State University in California.

Newsom emerged this cycle as a star surrogate for President Biden’s reelection campaign, even as he shrugged off suggestions that he could challenge the incumbent for the White House. He was also floated as a potential contender to replace Biden as the party’s nominee after the president dropped out — and then found himself in veepstakes talks about who would join Vice President Harris, a fellow Californian, in her fast-tracked 2024 bid.

In the wake of Trump’s victory, Newsom warned in a proclamation that “the consequences of his presidency for California may be significant and immediate.” He convened a special session to safeguard California’s liberal policies, and last week asked state lawmakers for a $25 million litigation fund to address potential federal overreach. He called the Golden State “a tent pole of the country — from the economy to innovation to protecting and investing in rights and freedoms for all people.”

Days later, Newsom visited the southern border and slammed Trump’s proposals for mass deportations and major tariffs. At the same time, he’s also stressed that he’s open to working with the president-elect, who’s nicknamed the governor “Newscum.”

Newsom’s latest moves all add fuel to the longstanding speculation that he’s readying for a future White House run.

“He’s been running for president for two years,” said Sacramento-based Democratic strategist Steven Maviglio.

Newsom batted away 2024 rumors and has been mum about whether he has his sights set on 2028. But talk of a future presidential bid is intensifying for the term-limited governor as he heads into his last couple years in the California office.

A recent Emerson College poll found Newsom as Democrats’ second-favorite pick for 2028 — though, with 7 percent support, he was well behind Harris’s 37 percent.

A November poll from Puck News/Echelon Insights also found Newsom in second place behind Harris, ahead of a handful of other high-profile Democratic governors, though he trailed her by 33 points. Some strategists have notably suggested that Harris, who served as California’s attorney general before ascending to the Senate and then the vice presidency, could instead jump into the 2026 race to replace Newsom as California governor.

Among his other national-stage plays: Newsom made a surprise visit to Israel shortly after the Hamas attacks in October 2023, and went head-to-head with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a Fox News “Red vs. Blue State” debate. Last week, after serving as Biden’s attack dog throughout 2024, he broke with the president to express disappointment at Biden’s bombshell decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, after repeatedly vowing he wouldn’t do so.

“Anything that Trump does on a national scale, he'll try to be the foil for that on the state level,” Maviglio said of Newsom when Trump enters the Oval Office next year.

While nationally Newsom could be seen as the leader of a new resistance, Californians may not see him that way, Maviglio added, because there’s “a pretty high level of disgruntlement” at Newsom’s apparent moves toward the White House, even from California Democrats.

“There’s a danger that he’s running the risk of being at the tip of the spear.”

While the vocal defense of his party and public sparring with Republicans, including DeSantis, has helped propel Newsom to Democratic stardom, it’s also brought criticism, including GOP-led recall efforts in his state.

A September poll from the Public Policy Institute of California found Californians split on their governor, with 49 percent approval and 48 percent disapproval. Just 43 percent said the state is headed in the right direction.

Tab Berg, a California-based GOP strategist, said Newsom’s “Trump-proof” efforts are “tone deaf,” pointing to California’s slight rightward shift this election as a sign of the Republican’s nationwide appeal — and argued they’re also “a performance” as Newsom eyes more national moves.

“He's campaigned more in other states than he has in California,” Berg said. “He’s clearly been running for president for years.”

Meanwhile, the liberal bastion on the so-called "Left Coast" has increasingly become a Republican target over issues like homelessness, transgender rights and immigration.

“There’s this dilemma of a guy who is searching for his role — which has been front-and-center, has been about Dobbs, has been about pushing back against Trump in particular, and against Republicans — but is also framed by a dynamic in California where there’s the stereotype that California is the place where everything … has gone wrong,” said McCuan.

Experts say California is likely to be ground zero for Trump resistance over the next four years. Working alongside Newsom is state Attorney General Rob Bonta (D), who told The Hill last month that Trump “can’t help but break the law” and said the state is ready to take Trump’s policies to court if it comes to that. California alone brought more than a hundred lawsuits against the president-elect’s first term.

If Newsom decides to get into the 2028 race, he’s likely to be a top candidate, strategists say. Plus, Democrats bruised by the 2024 results may want a candidate who will go on offense against the GOP.

But the way he's been able to dominate California politics "is not going to be the same way he can be successful at the national level," McCuan said, calling the coming years "a test of political maturity."

Newsom will have to take advantage of the next few years and navigate courting a national audience while soothing issues at home — and building a working relationship with Trump while helping lead the Trump resistance. He aimed to strike that balance over the weekend, when he welcomed Democratic governors to Los Angeles for their winter meeting, Politico reported.

“He’s a lame duck. He’s done in two years. So he’s got to do everything he can now to propel himself to the front of the pack for consideration if he’s going to be able to attract money and run a real campaign without being governor,” Maviglio said.

“Usually when you're a lame duck, you sort of fade away. But that would be the opposite of what he's going to be doing, because he has to be out there promoting himself to be president. So it's going to be just a very politically interesting year.”

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