Newsom has his eyes on the White House. But he knows the GOP stands in his way.
And Governor Newsom has come clean to announce what terrifies him most about Republicans.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is losing sleep over the rising stars in the MAGA universe, especially Vice President JD Vance, who he sees as a real threat to take the reins from President Donald Trump in 2028.
In a recent sit-down with former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on MS NOW, Newsom didn’t hold back, labeling Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “a complete fraud” and confessing that Vance rattles him even more than Trump himself.
Psaki kicked things off by asking about the next generation of MAGA leaders. “There are some people waiting in the wings in the MAGA world who would love to be the chosen ones of the Trump orbit,” she said, naming Vance and Rubio. “Do you think they can carry on the MAGA flame here?”
Newsom shot back, saying: “No. But Vance, for whatever reason, scares me.”
When Psaki dug deeper with a simple “Why?”, Newsom elaborated, “Almost more than Trump. I don’t know. I just — I mean, talk about a guy who put a mask on and his face grew into it.”
He lumped in Rubio and Senator Lindsey Graham, calling them out for once slamming Trump but now falling in line. Newsom fumed about how they had been “effective” critics before switching sides.
“What frauds, what phonies,” Newsom declared. “But JD is a unique fraud and phony. And he’s a little more dangerous.”
The governor pointed fingers at the people backing Vance, warning about a dark edge to their worldview. “And — and the folks around him, these are not folks that believe — I mean, listen to some of its biggest funders, the way they talk. There’s a nihilism to the way they talk about the world,” he said.
Newsom claimed personal knowledge of these figures, insisting, “I know these guys. I literally know them, not figuratively know them. Some of them are in the book, knew them back when.”
Trying to dial it back, he added, “So, again, I don’t want to be overly hyperbolic about this,” but then ramped up the drama anyway.
He speculated wildly about Trump’s plans, suggesting the president might drag things out to hand-pick his successor. “So [Trump’s] going to try to run this out until right after the end, until he can pick and choose who goes behind him,” Newsom warned.
He even floated a doomsday scenario: “Or, God forbid, we don’t take back the House of Representatives, he may be on that ballot.”
Psaki chimed in with agreement, saying, “He’ll try.”
Newsom doubled down on his paranoia: “I just wouldn’t put it past him.”
Meanwhile, President Trump has made it crystal clear he has no interest in a third term, brushing off questions about successors while giving nods to both Vance and Rubio as strong options who could keep America first.
