Newsom Says Trump Is Positioning to Rig 2028 Election, Cites $75 B ICE Push

California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that President Donald Trump is undertaking a concerted effort to stay in power beyond his second term, telling an audience at Politico’s inaugural California Policy Summit on 28 August that he is “absolutely convinced there won’t be a free and fair election in 2028.” In a live interview at the event, Newsom said Trump is “rigging the 2028 election in plain sight” and “doesn’t believe in free and fair elections,” pointing to the former president’s refusal to accept the 2020 result and the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol as precedent. Newsom claimed the administration’s additional $75 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement amounts to building “the world’s largest private police force,” which he fears could be deployed to polling places. He also recounted a February Oval Office meeting in which Trump, gesturing to a portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt, mused about a possible third term and later had aides send Newsom multiple “Trump 2028” hats. The Democratic governor, widely viewed as a potential presidential contender himself, argued that proposed restrictions on mail-in ballots and voting machines form part of a broader strategy to undermine future elections. The White House has not publicly addressed Newsom’s assertions, which add to growing debate over safeguards for the 2028 vote.