President Donald Trump is openly incredulous that California Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to be positioning himself for a presidential run, arguing that the state’s mounting problems under Democratic leadership would doom any national campaign before it begins.
“I’m amazed Gavin wants to run for office,” Trump said Friday in an Oval Office interview with The California Post, delivered just days after his administration launched legal action against California over its sanctuary policies and moved to claw back federal funding. Trump did not mince words when asked to assess Newsom’s record. His verdict was blunt and brutal: “Gavin’s incompetent.”
Though Trump owns a golf course in California and has long admired what he calls the “dream” of the Golden State, he argued that reality under Newsom has become something else entirely. “People love the dream of California, but they hate what’s happening to them,” Trump said, adding that the state desperately needs “proper leadership.”
Newsom, meanwhile, has been steadily raising his national profile, adopting a more combative, Trump-style social media presence while frequently positioning himself as a foil to the former president. That strategy appears to be paying off—at least among Democrats. According to RealClearPolitics polling averages, Newsom currently leads the early 2028 Democratic primary field with 24% support, edging out former Vice President Kamala Harris at 21%, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 11%, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 8%.
Trump predicted that Newsom’s California record would become a political liability on the campaign trail, singling out the state’s controversial high-speed rail project—often derided as the “train to nowhere.” Originally pitched as a sleek rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco, the project has ballooned to an estimated $135 billion, making it the most expensive train project in U.S. history.
“He has the train, the train to nowhere,” Trump said. “It’s the greatest cost run over that I’ve ever seen.” Trump also claimed he could have built the project “in one year,” contrasting his deal-making image with what he called California’s chronic mismanagement.
The rail line was initially scheduled for completion in 2020. The current target date of 2030 would only deliver a partial Central Valley segment between Bakersfield and Merced—far from the major coastal cities it was meant to serve. Persistent funding shortfalls have forced California taxpayers to shoulder an ever-growing burden as federal dollars are repeatedly pulled and restored.
Trump also reflected on his deteriorating relationship with Newsom, saying it shifted from cordial during his first term to irreparably strained. “I used to get along with him,” Trump said, “but now it’s sort of a hopeless situation. They’ve gone radical left. They’re crazy.”
As Newsom edges closer to a national run, Trump has made clear he believes California’s troubles will follow him wherever he campaigns—tracks, overruns, and all.