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California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s unusual public praise for President Donald Trump is raising political eyebrows, with observers suggesting the break from his usual posture could foreshadow how the Democrat positions himself ahead of 2028.
Newsom heaped praise on Trump accounts, or 530a accounts, which the president created with the help of Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Cory Booker, D-N.J., to provide a market-indexed nest egg beginning at $1,000 for children born during his second term.
“Gavin Newsom, who fancies himself a 2028 nominee, has come out and said that he completely supports this and that he thinks it’s the best thing President Trump has ever done,” conservative writer Charles Hurt said in response.
“He is so thirsty,” Hurt went on, adding on “Fox & Friends Weekend” that the remark reminded him of how some Democrats broke ranks to praise Trump’s “No Tax on Tips” plans that reduced federal levies on restaurant and service gratuities.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump. The Trump administration this week announced a pause on more than $10 billion in childcare funds to five blue states. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images (left); Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images (right))
Former George W. Bush White House press secretary Dana Perino said on Fox News’ “The Five” that she believes Newsom’s comments are indeed a “2028 play.”
“I think this is going to pit some of the 20 candidates [against each other at debates if they are collectively asked] ‘Will you keep Trump accounts?’” Perino suggested Newsom would have the upper hand and could point to his early support to counter allegations of political expediency.
California Assembly Minority Leader Alexandra Macedo told Fox News Digital that the rare collaboration on Trump accounts is encouraging but should be the rule, not the exception.
“It is good to see Gavin Newsom working with the Trump administration and recognizing a good idea when he sees one,” said Macedo, R-Tulare.
“Hopefully this is not Halley’s Comet. Californians should not have to wait another 75 years for Newsom to do it again,” she said.
During a news conference Friday, Newsom said Californians should consider opening a Trump account for their newborns, comparing the program to a Sacramento-based one championed by his wife.
“I’m enthusiastic about encouraging people to get a Trump account. I think it’s incredibly important,” Newsom said at an event alongside first lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “It’s one of the best things he’s done, and so we’re here to encourage people to take advantage of this.”
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Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., and President Donald Trump shake hands on Jan. 24, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Newsom warned Californians not to “fall prey” to politics or cynicism, or “even the fear that if I download a Trump account somehow that means something.”
“It doesn’t, it just means something for your kid. It’s not Trump’s money. It’s your child’s money.”
Siebel-Newsom spoke about a similar California program aimed at education expenses called “CalKIDS,” which the Sacramento Bee reported has not had the same successful launch as Trump accounts.
Newsom recently called 2028 presidential conjecture “wildly premature,” but acknowledged toying with the idea while taking steps that signal potential interest, including a nationally televised debate with potential Republican contender Gov. Ron DeSantis on Fox News Channel in 2023. He also told the Los Angeles Times more recently that “I’d be lying” if he said he hasn’t thought about running.
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom for comment.
Some social media users also expressed surprise at Newsom’s tack.
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“Uh oh… Newsom might have a decent campaign manager telling him to sound moderate, rational and team-building,” one X user said.
“The outgoing Golden State governor and 2028 White House hopeful said that he is ‘enthusiastic’ about Trump accounts, the Republican leader’s initiative that created investment accounts for children under 18, with the federal government depositing $1,000 into accounts for babies born during the president’s second term,” read a tweet from conservative podcaster Chad Law.
“Did something happen to Newsom?” added Defiant L’s, an account known for posting examples of liberals’ self-owns and perceived hypocrisies.
Fox News host Jesse Watters compared the effort to Bush’s much-maligned plan to privatize Social Security, calculating that returns for seniors would have doubled and the program would be solvent instead of facing potential insolvency in the 2030s.
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Newsom also reiterated in a post on X that California was the “first state in the country” to make 5.5 million students eligible for the CalKIDS program for college and career expenses.
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Newsom is one of several potential Democratic candidates representing different segments of the party, including socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Biden administration Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.