Newsom's remarks come at a pivotal moment in his political career. His second term as California's chief executive concludes in January 2027, after which state term limits bar him from seeking reelection. This timeline positions him ideally for a national bid, free from the constraints of governing the nation's most populous state. Yet, the governor tempered expectations of an imminent announcement, deferring to the uncertainties of the political landscape. "Fate will determine that," he said, indicating that a formal decision would likely follow the 2026 midterm elections, a contest he views as a critical test of Trump's grip on power.
The interview, which aired amid a backdrop of escalating partisan warfare over congressional redistricting and immigration enforcement, underscored Newsom's evolution from a regional leader to a national firebrand. For months, he has positioned himself as one of the few Democratic figures willing to confront Trump head-on, undeterred by the president's penchant for personal invective and policy retaliation. In the CBS exchange, Newsom likened Trump to "a wrecking ball," accusing him of dismantling "alliances, truth, trust, tradition, [and] institutions." He escalated the rhetoric further by calling Trump "an invasive species... for the country, for the world," a pointed reference to the administration's aggressive federal immigration raids in California that have disrupted communities and sparked widespread protests.
These raids, which intensified earlier this year under Trump's directive to ramp up deportations in sanctuary states like California, have become a flashpoint in Newsom's narrative. Operations targeting workplaces, including cannabis farms in Ventura County and construction sites in Los Angeles, have led to hundreds of arrests, drawing lawsuits from immigrant rights groups alleging racial profiling and Fourth Amendment violations. A federal judge in July issued a temporary restraining order halting "indiscriminate" stops in seven Southern California counties, citing a "mountain of evidence" of unconstitutional tactics. Despite this, the administration appealed to the Supreme Court, vowing to continue enforcement, which has paralyzed sectors like agriculture in the Coachella Valley, where undocumented workers comprise a significant portion of the labor force. Newsom explicitly tied these actions to his presidential deliberations, suggesting they represent an existential threat that could propel him onto the national stage.
But Newsom's immediate focus remains domestic: a high-stakes push to pass Proposition 50 on California's November 4 special election ballot. Dubbed the "Election Rigging Response Act," the measure would temporarily suspend the state's independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and adopt new congressional maps drawn by the Democratic-controlled legislature. Proponents, including Newsom, argue the redrawn lines could secure up to five additional Democratic seats in the U.S. House, countering a similar maneuver in Texas that favors Republicans. "We can't stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across this country," Newsom declared in the interview. "We're giving the power to the people."
The proposition emerges from a tit-for-tat escalation in redistricting battles, an unusual mid-decade exercise typically reserved for post-census adjustments. In August, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 4 into law, redrawing the Lone Star State's 38 congressional districts to create five new Republican-leaning seats, potentially flipping Democratic strongholds in urban areas like Austin and Houston. The move, pushed by Trump to safeguard the GOP's slim congressional majorities ahead of the 2026 midterms, passed on party-line votes after Texas House Democrats staged a two-week walkout in protest. Republicans currently hold a razor-thin edge in the House—218 to 217—following the 2024 elections, where they retained control but lost two net seats. In the Senate, the GOP commands a more comfortable 53-47 majority, bolstered by flips in West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio.
Texas Democrats decried the bill as a "rigged" power grab, vowing lawsuits under the Voting Rights Act for diluting minority voting power. Abbott, however, celebrated the signing in a social media video, proclaiming Texas "now more red in the United States Congress." The governor predicted the maps would withstand legal scrutiny, noting that other Republican-led states like Florida and Indiana are eyeing similar redraws to consolidate gains.
California's Proposition 50 flips the script, empowering voters to approve a Democratic gerrymander that consolidates urban and suburban strongholds, potentially converting competitive districts in the Central Valley and Inland Empire into safe blue seats. The measure, which requires a simple majority to pass, would apply only through the 2030 elections, after which the independent commission resumes control. Endorsed by heavyweights like former President Barack Obama, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and the California Democratic Party, it has surged in polls, with recent surveys showing 55-65% support amid anti-Trump fervor. Opponents, including the League of Women Voters (now neutral after initial reservations) and a Republican-backed PAC funded by Charles Munger Jr., warn it undermines the nonpartisan reforms voters enshrined in 2010 via Proposition 20.
Newsom framed the ballot initiative not merely as partisan maneuvering but as a defense of constitutional equilibrium. "It's about our democracy, it's about the future of this Republic," he told Costa. "What the founding fathers lived and died for—this notion of the rule of law, not the rule of Don." He expressed alarm that Trump's influence over a compliant Republican Congress—led by House Speaker Mike Johnson—could erode checks and balances, potentially enabling the president to circumvent the 22nd Amendment's two-term limit. "If you have a Speaker Johnson, you may have a third term of President Trump. I really believe that," Newsom warned. The governor invoked the proposition as a means to "rebalance this system," allowing co-equal branches to reassert authority against executive overreach.
Newsom's boldness has not gone unnoticed. A CBS poll from earlier this month found 72% of Democrats and 48% of all registered voters urging him to run in 2028, reflecting his rising star post-2024, when he stumped vigorously for Kamala Harris in battleground states. Yet, it also tees up a potential California showdown: Harris, in an interview aired Saturday, hinted at her own 2028 intentions, saying she is "not done" with national politics. Political scientists like UC San Diego's Thad Kousser suggest Newsom's timing is strategic, aimed at preempting being "boxed out" by his fellow Californian.
Critics, however, see hypocrisy in Newsom's gerrymandering push. Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley blasted Proposition 50 as "Democratic election interference," echoing accusations leveled at Texas Democrats. Even some nonpartisan analysts, like those at Princeton's Gerrymandering Project, have graded California's current maps a "B" for fairness, questioning the need for mid-decade tweaks. Undocumented immigrants, meanwhile, remain caught in the crossfire. Raids have not only fueled Newsom's rhetoric but also strained California's economy, with farm output in regions like Oxnard dipping as workers stay home fearing detention. A POLITICO poll indicated the operations are backfiring politically, alienating even some Republican-leaning independents in the state.
As ballots drop into mailboxes this week—vote-by-mail began October 6—Proposition 50's fate could ripple far beyond California, influencing turnout in 2026 and the nascent 2028 primary scrum. For Newsom, the measure represents more than seats; it's a referendum on resistance. Whether it propels him to the presidency or cements his legacy as Trump's fiercest foe, one thing is clear: the governor from Sacramento is no longer whispering about the Oval Office—he's shouting from its doorstep.
