California governor Gavin Newsom is sounding a fire alarm, cautioning Americans to take Donald Trump’s ambitions at face value, claiming the president is intent on breaking constitutional limits to pursue a third term.
“I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election,” Newsom said during a Politico summit in Sacramento on Wednesday. “This guy doesn’t believe in free, fair elections.”
Newsom, a Democrat who has built a national profile by clashing with Trump online and is often floated as a future presidential candidate, told the audience he had received a stack of “Trump 2028” hats from Trump supporters. “You think he’s joking about 2028?” he asked.
Get this, pointing to reports of Trump’s plan to build a massive 90,000-square-foot state ballroom off the East Wing of the White House, decorated in gold like the one at Mar-a-Lago, Newsom quipped: “Who spends $200m on a ballroom at their home and then leaves the house?” He added, “The rule of law is being replaced by the rule of Don.”
That part!
The California governor has repeatedly warned Trump will try to extend his time in power, referencing the 2020 election when Trump attempted to overturn Joe Biden’s victory with false fraud claims that fueled the January 6 attack on the Capitol. But this time Newsom pointed to a direct exchange he said took place during a 90-minute Oval Office meeting in February, when he had pressed Trump for federal disaster aid following deadly Los Angeles wildfires.
What’s more, according to Newsom, Trump gestured to a portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms, and then launched into a conversation about seeking a third term. “I said, ‘I know exactly what you mean,’” Newsom recalled. “And then he went on and on about the third term.”
Though it is rare for a sitting governor to reveal details from a private Oval Office meeting, Newsom brushed off concerns. “Apparently there are no rules any more,” he said.
His closing message was blunt. “Wake up,” Newsom urged. “We’re losing this country in real time. This is not bloviation, this is not exaggeration.”