As protests gripped the streets of Los Angeles this week, California Governor Gavin Newsom stood before a national audience and did something unmistakable: he launched himself into the 2028 presidential conversation.Ostensibly a speech to his state amid civil unrest sparked by President Trump’s latest immigration raids and military response, Newsom’s address was unmistakably aimed at a broader, national audience—and at a party searching for leadership in the aftermath of electoral defeat and internal disarray.“Democracy is under assault right before our eyes,” Newsom declared, in a sober tone flanked by the California and US flags. “The moment we’ve feared has arrived.”Delivered in a television studio with prepared remarks—rare for the dyslexic governor—the speech came off as a soft-launch for a presidential campaign. With Democrats still reeling from Trump’s return to power and Kamala Harris’ failed bid to stop him, Newsom’s pivot from gubernatorial crisis management to national firebrand marks a significant shift.
A Calculated Evolution
Just weeks ago, Newsom seemed politically adrift. Barred from seeking a third term as governor and saddled with a budget deficit and post-wildfire reconstruction, his relevance on the national stage appeared to be waning. His earlier efforts to bridge divides—like podcasting with Trump-aligned figures including Steve Bannon, and voicing controversial views on transgender athletes in sports—alienated many in his own party.But Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown last Friday—followed by military deployment to Los Angeles against Newsom’s wishes—provided the stage. What followed was days of conflict, both on the streets and online, culminating in Newsom’s nationally streamed rebuke of the president.The change in tone was unmistakable. From handshake diplomacy at LAX to combative tweets and primetime denunciations, Newsom appears to have rebranded from dealmaker to resistance leader. And for many Democrats, the timing couldn’t be better.
Target of the Right, Darling of the Left?
The Trump camp has taken note. Trump himself suggested that Newsom be “placed under arrest,” while House Speaker Mike Johnson said he should be “tarred and feathered.” The Republican Party’s vitriol may ironically be Newsom’s greatest political gift, elevating his stature in a fragmented Democratic landscape.Political strategist Rob Stutzman, a former advisor to Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, noted, “It gives Gavin the ability to be a leader of a resistance that is not contrived. It’s real—because Trump has attacked him and his state.”It’s not just the right that’s paying attention. Newsom’s acidic social media comebacks and unapologetic stance during the crisis have won over skeptical Democrats who once mocked his bipartisan podcast flirtations. David Axelrod, former advisor to Barack Obama, called his speech “powerful,” though he warned that balancing condemnation of Trump with calls for nonviolence would be a tricky needle to thread.
Kamala’s Shadow, California’s Burden
Still, Newsom’s path to the White House is far from clear. As another Democrat from California—already home to the defeated Kamala Harris—he risks carrying the baggage of a state caricatured by conservatives and overrepresented in liberal leadership. The West Coast isn’t an obvious launchpad in a party now grappling with its identity across the Rust Belt and South.Moreover, Newsom must navigate treacherous terrain in the coming weeks. The situation in Los Angeles remains volatile. With federal troops in the streets and the possibility of more unrest, the governor’s handling of the crisis could either consolidate his image as a national statesman—or expose him as politically brittle.And yet, for a man once thought to be winding down his political career, this moment may be the start of a second act.As Steve Bannon, never one to miss a signal, quipped: “He gave a kickoff to his 2028 campaign.”Indeed, he may have.