California Governor Gavin Newsom has launched an unvarnished warning about what he sees as a looming threat to American democracy: the possibility that President Donald Trump could attempt to seek a third term in office, flouting the constitutional two-term limit. Speaking at Politico’s inaugural California Policy Summit in Sacramento on August 27, 2025, Newsom pulled no punches, telling the audience, “I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election. This guy doesn’t believe in free, fair elections.” According to Politico, Newsom’s remarks were not just speculation; he cited personal experiences and recent signals from Trump’s circle to bolster his concerns.
Newsom, a Democrat who has steadily built a national profile by publicly clashing with Trump, described a private Oval Office meeting in February 2025. During the 90-minute session, which focused on California’s request for federal disaster aid after deadly Los Angeles wildfires, Trump reportedly gestured to a portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt—the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms—and then, with a smile, launched into a conversation about seeking a third term. “I said, ‘I know exactly what you mean,’” Newsom recalled, according to The Guardian. “And then he went on and on about the third term.”
Adding fuel to the fire, Newsom revealed that he had received a stack of “Trump 2028” hats from Trump’s supporters and aides. “You think he’s joking about 2028?” Newsom asked the summit audience, underscoring his belief that Trump’s intentions should be taken seriously. He even quipped about the former president’s reported plans to construct a lavish 90,000-square-foot state ballroom off the East Wing of the White House, decorated in gold like Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. “Who spends $200 million on a ballroom at their home and then leaves the house?” Newsom said, raising eyebrows about Trump’s future plans. “The rule of law is being replaced by the rule of Don.”
Newsom’s warnings were not limited to Trump’s personal ambitions. He accused the Trump administration of preparing what he called “the world’s largest private police force,” suggesting that the president’s team was gearing up for an unprecedented show of force. “People actually think this guy’s serious about having another election? Wake up. You will lose this country,” Newsom declared, according to Straight Arrow News. “This is not about Democrats. This is about all of us.”
The California governor’s remarks come amid a broader context of escalating political tension between the two men. Trump has repeatedly blamed Newsom for devastation caused by the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, even accusing him of failing “to turn the rest of the water on.” Newsom, in turn, has accused Trump of illegally deploying the National Guard as domestic police during the fires—a move currently under federal trial to determine whether the White House overstepped its authority. Water policy researchers have publicly debunked Trump’s claims about water mismanagement, noting that the 2.2 billion gallons Trump ordered released from the Kaweah and Tule rivers were more than 100 miles from the affected area and would not have aided firefighting efforts in Los Angeles.
Newsom’s critique of Trump’s actions went further. He lambasted what he described as “authoritarian actions,” pointing to Trump’s previous use of the military and federal law enforcement in cities like Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. According to MSNBC, Newsom predicted that federal authorities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would be present at polling locations during future elections. He also warned that Trump might use an emergency declaration to interfere in the democratic process—an assertion that has alarmed both Democrats and some nonpartisan observers.
To counter what he sees as Republican efforts to tilt the electoral playing field, Newsom recently signed the Election Rigging Response Act, a redistricting plan designed to counter GOP moves in states like Texas. “These guys are not screwing around,” Newsom said. “We’re not going to play with one hand tied behind our back…. They don’t play by the same rules. I am sick and tired of Democrats in this country being on the losing end and our democracy being on the losing end.” Trump, for his part, has threatened to sue California over the new redistricting plan, setting the stage for another high-profile legal battle.
Newsom’s warnings have not gone unanswered. The White House, responding to Newsom’s suggestion that Trump may be suffering from dementia—a claim Newsom amplified by posting a screenshot from Elon Musk’s chatbot Grok, which described how people with dementia can repeat false statements—fired back sharply. In a statement to The Daily Beast, a spokesperson said, “Newscum will say anything to distract from his terrible handling of the California wildfires that President Trump had to come in and clean up.” The exchange highlights the deeply personal nature of the feud between the two leaders.
Observers note that Newsom’s increasingly vocal opposition to Trump has fueled speculation about his own national ambitions. While he has not confirmed whether he will run for president in 2028, many see him as positioning himself as Trump’s most prominent Democratic foil. According to MSNBC, Newsom closed his remarks at the Politico summit with a stark message: “Wake up. We’re losing this country in real time. This is not bloviation, this is not exaggeration.”
The specter of a third Trump term has set off alarm bells among many Democrats and democracy advocates, who point to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the subsequent January 6 attack on the Capitol as evidence of his willingness to challenge established norms. Newsom’s references to these events were clear: “This is not just about Democrats. This is about all of us.”
Yet, not all Americans are convinced by Newsom’s warnings. Some Trump supporters dismiss the idea of a third term as fearmongering, arguing that Trump is simply trolling his critics or engaging in political theater. Others, especially on the right, see Newsom’s moves—such as the Election Rigging Response Act—as partisan maneuvers designed to shore up Democratic power in California and beyond.
Still, the debate over Trump’s intentions and the future of American democracy is unlikely to subside anytime soon. As the 2028 presidential race begins to take shape, the rivalry between Newsom and Trump—each with their own base of fervent supporters—seems poised to remain a defining feature of the nation’s political landscape.
With the memory of past political upheavals still fresh and the stakes for the next election cycle rising, Newsom’s warning serves as a reminder of just how fragile—and fiercely contested—the American democratic system can be.
