Gavin Newsom: The Governor Who Represents the Democratic Opposition to Trump

Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, launched a podcast three months ago with a very simple name: This is Gavin Newsom. The leader stirred controversy in the major progressive stronghold of the United States when he invited figures from the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, Donald Trump’s slogan, to discuss in the early episodes. This week, after several days of protests in the state due to immigration raids by the Trump Administration, Newsom has ceased to extend a hand to the president’s supporters and returned to his roots, becoming the prominent voice of opposition against what he calls the “indescribable cruelty” of Washington.

The governor is solidifying his position as one of the main contenders for the 2028 elections within a weakened Democratic Party. The opposition has several candidates, but no one has yet emerged as the clear voice against Trump. Eighty-four percent of Democratic voters want to see their leaders adopt a more combative spirit against the Republican. The deployment of troops in Los Angeles by the Republicans has put Newsom in the spotlight, who has not closed the door on a candidacy; until recently, he suggested he had no interest in a presidential run.

Newsom, who has been in Los Angeles since last Sunday (the governor’s official seat is in Sacramento), criticized the parade that Trump has organized in Washington for this Saturday to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, coinciding with his birthday. He turns 79. “It’s a vulgar display of power, something worthy of Kim Jong-un, [Vladimir] Putin, and the weak dictators of the world who only want to show strength,” he said this week.

The 57-year-old Democratic politician has maintained an intense back-and-forth with Trump, who ordered the mobilization of 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines on the streets of Los Angeles, initially for two months, without Newsom requesting federal support. The troops arrived in the city to bolster operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and to monitor massive protests that have occurred this week. “If I hadn’t sent the military, the city would have been reduced to ashes. We saved Los Angeles,” Trump claimed on Friday, who often refers to Newsom as Newscum. Only 35% of Americans approve of Trump’s response to the protests in Los Angeles, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll published this Thursday.

The Republican endorsed voices from his Cabinet calling for Newsom’s arrest for not cooperating with operations being carried out in the sanctuary state for migrants. “This is a day I hoped never to see in the United States. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican; this is a line we cannot cross as a nation: it’s an unequivocal step towards authoritarianism,” Newsom responded.

The governor and the Mayor of Los Angeles, fellow Democrat Karen Bass, have responded to Trump by calling him a liar, arguing that the protests have been concentrated in part of downtown, making the deployment unnecessary to control mobilizations that have seen some episodes of violence. Local police departments have arrested just over 500 people since the first protests began last Saturday.

The tone of recent days contrasts with January, when Newsom worked with Trump to mobilize 2,500 National Guardsmen in the state to support firefighting efforts in Los Angeles. The governor welcomed the president at the airport amid the crisis. In February, the two met in the Oval Office for more than an hour. Newsom publicly thanked him afterward for his support.

Five months into Trump’s second presidency, the political atmosphere is very different. California took the federal government to court on Monday with a lawsuit accusing the administration of abusing its power by mobilizing troops without consent. This is the 24th lawsuit against the Administration from the state. The 25th was filed Thursday after Trump dismantled the state strategy to accelerate the transition to electric cars. Washington is now considering reversing the establishment of two national reserves located in the region. “If the day ends in Y, it’s another day in Trump’s war against California,” the local governor’s office stated.

Business Career

Newsom, the son of a appeals court judge and a legal advisor, studied Political Science but became an entrepreneur in 1992 when he opened a liquor store in San Francisco. His business, PlumpJack Wine and Spirits, expanded into hotels, restaurants, and bars after receiving investment from an heir of the Getty family.

His political career began in 1996, when then Mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown (the same mentor of former Vice President Kamala Harris), appointed him to the Metropolitan Traffic and Parking Commission. A year later, he had already jumped to the powerful Board of Supervisors, a body that oversees the metropolitan government. In 2003, he ran for mayor of San Francisco, winning with 52% of the votes. The following year, he made international headlines by allowing the first same-sex marriage long before it was legalized in the country (2015).

Newsom’s name is now nationally recognized. He is revered among Democrats and hated by Republicans, who often use California as an example of what is wrong in the United States, such as the fentanyl epidemic, the homelessness crisis, and an alleged leniency towards crime. The dispute with Trump, however, has elevated his profile even further. Internet searches for his name have surged by 9.7% in recent days to levels not seen since 2004.

Harry Enten, a CNN analyst, noted this week that the country is witnessing in real time how Newsom is fully entering the race for the Democratic nomination for the upcoming presidential elections in 2028. There is no clear favorite among the list of potential candidates, which includes former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, and Latina Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The Governor of California, who survived a recall attempt in 2021, is in the final stretch of his term and will not be able to run again. The next governor will be elected in November 2026.

“We are no longer in 2017, when most Democrats were seeking some way to reach an agreement with Trump. Now they want someone who can fight against him. That’s why Newsom is entering this battle. He is thinking about 2028,” highlighted Enten on Wednesday.

Newsom has been showing skepticism regarding his political future for months and often states that he has a “zero interest” in the presidency of the United States. But perhaps the temperature is rising for the Democrat. The Wall Street Journal asked him this week about his political future. “I’m not thinking of running, but it’s a path that could reveal itself to me later,” he said. Newsom has opened a window.