California Gov.
Gavin Newsom is sharpening his national profile by openly embracing a combative, Trump-style political posture and urging Democrats to become more ruthless as he quietly lays the groundwork for a possible 2028 presidential bid.
Speaking to activists in New Hampshire, Newsom dispensed with the usual calls for civility and bipartisanship that Democrats often invoke and instead praised the hard-edged tactics of his political opponents.
The Right is ruthless. Trump is ruthless, he declared at a field office in Nashua over the weekend.
I'm sorry. We need to be a little more ruthless.
According to Newsmax, the California governors trip to the first-in-the-nation primary state was officially billed as an effort to boost Democrat candidates in marquee House and Senate contests, but the visit also served as an unmistakable audition for higher office.
Newsoms remarks, heavy on attacks against President Donald Trump and repeated boasts about his own record in Sacramento, offered a preview of how he might frame a national campaign in a party that remains deeply defined by its opposition to Trump.
The governor appears to be wagering that anti-Trump sentiment will continue to animate Democrat voters well into the next presidential cycle and that a confrontational stance toward the president will be an asset rather than a liability.
In doing so, he is signaling that the path to the 2028 Democrat nomination may run not through moderation or unity, but through a willingness to mirror the aggressive political style that Trump used to dominate the Republican Party.
Newsom has already carved out a role as one of Trumps most visible Democrat antagonists, repeatedly clashing with the president over federal deployments, legal disputes, and a host of policy conflicts involving California.
Those public battles, often amplified by a sympathetic media, have allowed Newsom to present himself as the face of blue-state resistance, even as critics argue that his states problemsfrom crime to homelessness to high taxesare the direct result of the very progressive policies he champions.
His strategy now is to convert those high-profile confrontations into a political springboard, at a time when Democrats are still wrestling with how to counter Trump and the broader Republican agenda in the years ahead.
Rather than offering a course correction from the lefts increasingly hardline posture, Newsom is effectively arguing that Democrats should double down on the politics of escalation, a message that may energize the partys activist base while alienating moderates and independents.
At a town hall in Exeter, Newsom cast his home state as the ideological antithesis of Trumps America, a contrast he clearly believes will resonate with Democrat primary voters.
He described California as the most un-Trump state in the United States of America, adding, I say that with deep pride and privilege.
Yet that very record in California could prove to be a double-edged sword in a national primary, especially among voters who associate the state with unchecked liberalism, sky-high costs of living, and a political culture dominated by coastal elites.
For many Americans, California has become a cautionary tale of what happens when progressive ideology is allowed to run the economy, public safety, and social policy, raising questions about whether its governor can credibly present himself as a model for the rest of the country.
Some Democrats on the ground in New Hampshire voiced admiration for Newsoms charisma and political skills while openly wondering whether his California pedigree would be a liability in swing states and heartland communities.
Denise Rudman, a retired high school teacher from Manchester, captured that ambivalence, saying, I mean, I love him. I think he's wonderful, before adding, There's just something about, you know, 'liberals from California,' and I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way.
Newsoms allies counter that his national profile and media savvy could help him overcome such skepticism, particularly in a party that increasingly prizes celebrity and visibility.
Polls cited by the Washington Examiner place him among the leading potential Democrat contenders for 2028, trailing only former Vice President Kamala Harris, the partys 2024 nominee, in early speculation about the next presidential field.
Trump, for his part, has not ignored Newsoms rise and has repeatedly targeted the governor with his trademark derision, branding him Newscum and even calling for his arrest.
Newsom has responded in kind, mocking the president on social media and using the attacks as fodder to rally his own supporters, a dynamic that underscores how both men benefit politically from their ongoing feud.
Despite the public fireworks, Newsom has been careful to stress that he is capable of working with the Trump administration when California requires federal assistance, particularly in times of crisis.
He has pointed to episodes such as the response to the Palisades wildfire as evidence of his pragmatism, insisting that he has always had an open hand, not a closed fist, even as he continues to lambaste Trump in front of partisan audiences.
During his New Hampshire appearances, Newsom also sought to nationalize the stakes of the upcoming midterm elections, portraying them as a decisive moment for the future of American democracy.
There will not be a fair and free election in the United States of America if we don't take back the House of Representatives this year, Newsom warned, a statement that reflects the lefts increasingly apocalyptic rhetoric about Republican control of Congress.
Some attendees at his events said they saw in Newsom a formidable potential presidential contender, someone who could channel the anger of the Democrat base while presenting a polished, telegenic image.
Yet even those impressed by his performance acknowledged that he would face stiff competition from other ambitious Democrats eager to claim the post-Biden mantle, each representing a different faction of the partys ideological coalition.
Among the likely rivals is former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who finished second in New Hampshires 2020 Democrat presidential primary and retains a following among more technocratic and establishment-minded liberals.
On the partys left flank, progressive activists continue to float names such as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ro Khanna of California, figures who would likely push the party even further toward socialism, identity politics, and expansive government.
Asked what message Democrats should emphasize once the midterm dust settles, Newsom returned to economic themes that have long animated the progressive wing of the party.
He called for efforts to democratize our economy and to confront what he described as the dangerous concentration of wealth and power, rhetoric that critics on the right see as a prelude to more regulation, higher taxes, and deeper government intrusion into private enterprise.
Defending his record as governor, Newsom pointed to policies such as paid family leave and a higher minimum wage as proof that Democrats can deliver tangible benefits when they control the levers of power.
I'm practicing what I preach every day, he told the Washington Examiner, promising, I'll go down the damn list, a defiant boast that underscores his confidence in selling Californias progressive model to a national audience.
For conservatives, however, Californias trajectory under Newsom is less a success story than a warning sign, marked by an exodus of businesses and families fleeing to red states with lower taxes, fewer regulations, and stronger protections for public order and parental rights.
They argue that Newsoms call for Democrats to be more ruthless is not about defending democracy, but about entrenching a left-wing agenda that has already produced social disorder, economic strain, and a widening gulf between political elites and ordinary citizens.
As the 2028 race begins to take shape in the shadows of the current political cycle, Newsoms gambit reveals a Democrat Party still defined by its fixation on Trump and its willingness to escalate partisan conflict rather than seek common ground.
Whether voters beyond the liberal coasts will embrace a candidate who proudly leads the most un-Trump state in the United States of America and urges his party to emulate the ruthlessness he attributes to the Right remains an open question, one that will test how far Americans are willing to follow Californias example.
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