Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said on Wednesday he doesn’t think President Donald Trump is joking about extending his term beyond 2028.
Newsom points to the new “Trump 2028” hats as proof that Trump wants to do away with the next presidential election.
“I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election,” Newsom said at a Politico event in Sacramento. “I have two dozen ‘Trump 2028’ hats his folks keep sending me.”
Newsom: "I don't think Donald Trump wants another election."
"This guy doesn't believe in free and fair elections," he tells our @ccadelago. "[Trump] tried to wreck this country. Were you there? Jan. 6."
More from Newsom's @POLITICOLive interview
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— POLITICO (@politico) August 28, 2025
Trump said earlier this month he would “probably not” run for a third term, considering he’s constitutionally ineligible to do so. Months earlier, he floated a 2028 run and said he was “not joking” about the prospect.
The president later named Vice President JD Vance his likely heir apparent while also proposing Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio team up for a future Republican ticket. However, he did say it’s still “too early” to talk about 2028.
Newsom suggested people are too naive if they don’t think Trump will run again.
“People actually think this guy’s serious about having another election?” the Democratic governor asked. “You think he’s joking about 2028? You think when he brings foreign leaders to the Oval Office, and he goes to the White House store — Have you seen this? Anyone? Is it just me? — and he shows them the 2028 hats? He’s not being serious? Wake up. You will lose your country.”
Trump has recently shown foreign leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, his MAGA hat collection in the White House.
Newsom also pointed to Trump’s plans to attach a $200 million 90,000-square-foot ballroom to the East Wing as a reason for staying in the presidency.
“Who spends $200 million on a ballroom at their home and then leaves the house?” he asked.
Newsom, a possible 2028 presidential candidate, has increasingly taken steps to position himself against Trump’s policies. The governor is not only waging a redistricting battle with Texas but also threatening to sue the Trump administration for pressuring the University of California system to agree to a $1 billion settlement over allegations of campus antisemitism.
TRUMP’S CLASHES WITH DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS SET STAGE FOR 2028 RACE
He has also made fun of Trump by creating a parody merchandise shop that features “Newsom was right about everything!” hats, which are meant to mimic Trump’s very own caps with the same phrase. On Wednesday, he teased a new memecoin as a possible addition to the website.
“By the way, I’m about to come out with a coin on my Patriot site. So you may want to look into that,” Newsom said while laughing. “I think we’ll add a coin, maybe a Trump corruption coin or something.”
