Newsom warns Americans ‘you will lose your country’ under Trump at California summit

California governor claims president has ‘authoritarian tendencies’ as both states pursue House seat redistricting

California Gov. Gavin Newsom unleashed on President Donald Trump on Wednesday, criticizing his “authoritarian tendencies” and warning Americans that Trump won’t concede the presidency at the end of his second term.

During POLITICO’s California Summit in Sacramento, the potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate ripped into Trump, arguing the president “doesn’t believe in free, fair elections,” referencing the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021.

“You think he’s joking about 2028?” Newsom asked before warning Americans, “Wake up. You will lose your country.”

When reached for comment regarding Newsom’s remarks, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital, “While Newscum is on a Panican Media Tour, President Trump is delivering win after win for the American people. When will Newscum learn that President Trump is right about everything?!”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a bill-signing event related to redrawing the state’s congressional maps on August 21, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif.  (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

While the White House has maintained that Trump is not seeking a third term, which would be unconstitutional, the Trump Organization’s official online retailer launched a “Trump 2028” hat earlier this year, sparking buzz about another run.

“I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election,” Newsom claimed. “I have two dozen ‘Trump 2028’ hats his folks keep sending me … Who spends $200 million on a ballroom at their home and then leaves the house? This is serious guys. This is serious.”

Newsom’s fiery rebuttal of the Trump administration’s sweeping second-term agenda came after the political leaders’ contentious relationship came to a boiling point earlier this summer.

For the first time in 60 years, the president federalized a state’s National Guard without the governor’s approval when Trump deployed the California National Guard to Los Angeles during protests rejecting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Trump has since deployed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital as part of his administration’s crackdown on crime, mobilizing more than 20,000 troops in Washington, D.C. He has also floated similar deployments to Baltimore and Chicago.

A protester places debris in a fire as Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stand guard outside an industrial park in Paramount, Calif., on Saturday, June 7, 2025.  (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

“This is a real and serious moment in U.S. history,” Newsom said. “And by the way, I say that as an American, not as a Democrat. Every Republican should be ashamed about this and scared to death about not just these authoritarian tendencies, but these authoritarian actions by the president. He is weak. He’s weakness masquerading as strength and that makes him more dangerous than most people believe.”

“This is simply the most destructive and damaging individual in my lifetime that happens to be the President of the United States,” Newsom said.

Newsom’s remarks came on the heels of the Texas legislature passing their Trump-backed redistricting maps, which will shift the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of the midterm elections by securing five more Republican-leaning districts.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The California governor has followed suit with his own redistricting plan, seeking to pick up five Democrat-leaning U.S. House seats to level the playing field ahead of the midterms.

“I’m sick and tired of Democrats being on the losing end in this country, and our democracy being on the losing end. We have got to fight fire with fire,” Newsom said.

As Newsom lambasted the Trump administration for close to an hour, he said he was done “giving a d— about people’s feelings about this moment.”
“We’re losing this country in real time. This is not bloviation. This is not an exaggeration. It’s happening,” Newsom warned before adding that the rule of law is “being replaced with the rule of Don.”