Newsom appears onstage at Texas rally to celebrate Prop. 50 victory, take swipes at Trump
Gov. Gavin Newsom took the stage in Houston on Saturday to tell a cheering crowd of Texas Democrats that Proposition 50’s victory in California on Election Day was a victory for the nation and a stark repudiation of President Trump.
Newsom had the air of a politician running for president at the raucous rally; California’s governor says he considered the possibility, and his choice of location was not accidental.
Newsom accused Trump of pressuring Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to redraw the state’s congressional districts in an effort to send more Republicans to Congress; this was an action that triggered California’s Proposition 50. Newsom successfully pushed for a special election on the ballot measure to counter the effort in Texas; The governor said this was an attempt by Trump and Republicans to “rigged” the 2026 midterm elections.
When Newsom belittled Trump as an “invasive species” and a “historically unpopular president,” cheers rose from the friendly crowd in the union hall.
“On every issue regarding the economy, terrorists, immigration, healthcare, [he’s a] He’s a historically unpopular president and he knows it, he knows it,” Newsom said. “Why else would he make that call to your governor? Why else did he feel the need to rig the election before even a single vote was cast? This is just weakness, weakness masquerading as strength. “This is Donald Trump and he had a terrible night on Tuesday.”
Newsom was the main political force behind Proposition 50, which California voters overwhelmingly approved in Tuesday’s special election. The statewide ballot measure was an attempt to counter Trump’s effort to have Republican-led states, particularly Texas, redraw their electoral maps to prevent Democrats from taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives and overturning his agenda in the 2026 midterm elections. Newsom and California Democrats hope the change will add five more Democrats to California’s congressional delegation and undo the gains in Texas.
Newsom thanked Texas Democrats for fighting against redistricting efforts in their state, which he said led to an insurrection.
“People all over the United States are beginning to understand what is at stake,” Newsom told the crowd. “And you drive a stake into the ground. People come. I don’t believe in crowns, I don’t believe in thrones. I don’t believe in kings.”
Newsom’s trip to Texas comes as the former San Francisco mayor is openly flirting with a 2028 presidential run. In a recent interview with “CBS News Sunday Morning,” Newsom was asked if he would “seriously consider” a run for the White House after the 2026 midterm elections.
“Yes, otherwise I would be lying,” Newsom replied. “I would be lying. And I can’t do that.”
In July, Newsom flew to South Carolina, a state that traditionally hosts the South’s first presidential primaries. He said he wants to help his party win back the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026. But South Carolina is an extremely conservative state and doesn’t appear to have a single competitive race.
During that trip, South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the top black member of Congress and the famed Democratic kingmaker, told The Times that Newsom would be “a great candidate.” Newsom received similar praise and encouragement when he was introduced at the “Take Back” rally in Houston.
Newsom is now heading to Belém, Brazil, where representatives from 200 countries are gathering to kick off the annual United Nations climate policy summit. For Newsom, this is a golden opportunity to get on the world stage and sell himself and California as an antidote to Trump and his attacks on climate change policy.
The Trump administration this year canceled funding for major clean energy projects like California’s hydrogen hub and moved to revoke the state’s long-held authority from the federal government to set stricter vehicle emissions standards.
