California Governor Gavin Newsom used a live interview at Politico’s inaugural California Policy Summit on 28 August to charge that President Donald Trump is preparing to remain in power after his second term and to “rig the 2028 presidential election in plain sight.” Newsom, a Democrat widely regarded as a prospective 2028 White House candidate, said he has received dozens of “Trump 2028” hats from the president’s aides and contended that Trump “doesn’t believe in free and fair elections.” Newsom argued that a $75 billion expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is building “the world’s largest private police force,” which he claimed could be sent to polling sites nationwide. He also pointed to efforts to curtail mail-in ballots and certain voting machines as evidence that the administration is shaping conditions to declare an emergency and challenge future results. “Wake up,” he told the audience, warning that Americans would “lose your country” if the threats are ignored. The governor defended California’s own redistricting moves as a counter to Republican gerrymandering in states such as Texas and said new California Highway Patrol crime-suppression teams were being deployed after Trump threatened to send additional federal forces to the state. The White House has not formally responded to Newsom’s accusations, and Trump has previously said he intends to serve only one further term despite supporters’ calls for him to run again in 2028.