President Donald Trump issued a sharp warning to British leaders this week after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a clean-energy memorandum with U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband during a high-profile European tour.
Critics note that Newsom’s international tour resembles the early stages of a 2028 presidential campaign.
In an interview with Politico, Trump called the partnership “inappropriate,” adding a blunt assessment of the arrangement:
“The U.K.’s got enough trouble without getting involved with Gavin Newscum.”
The rebuke followed a week in which Newsom traveled across Europe, attended the Munich Security Conference, signed agreements with foreign officials, and publicly criticized the sitting president before international audiences, while simultaneously insisting he was conducting routine state business.
Newsom’s European Agreements Draw Scrutiny
Newsom’s trip included two headline-grabbing deals.
The first was a pact with the Lviv region of Ukraine involving California companies in projects tied to defense, energy, and digital resilience.
The second was a clean-energy memorandum with Miliband that Newsom’s office said could generate nearly $1 billion in new investment.
Both agreements, however, are nonbinding memoranda of understanding rather than federal treaties, meaning they carry no legal force under U.S. foreign-policy authority.
While governors from both parties have historically led overseas trade missions, critics argue that Newsom’s rhetoric went far beyond economic outreach.
During the trip, he told an international audience that Trump is “temporary” and would be “gone in three years.”
2028 Speculation Intensifies
Newsom has long been viewed as a potential Democrat presidential contender in 2028, and his conduct abroad has fueled that speculation.
At the Munich Security Conference, he criticized global leaders who cooperate with President Trump, saying:
“I can’t take this complicity of people rolling over.
“I mean, handing out crowns, the Nobel prizes that are being given away … it’s just pathetic.”
He previously told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he “should have brought a bunch of knee pads” for leaders he believes bowed to Trump’s diplomacy.
The messaging aligns closely with a potential primary strategy as he’s positioning himself as a global anti-Trump figure, staging international signing ceremonies, and portraying California as an alternative political model.
Spokesperson’s Response Raises Eyebrows
When asked for comment, Newsom’s spokesperson delivered a statement critics say sounded more like campaign messaging than routine government communication:
“Donald Trump is on his knees for coal and Big Oil, selling out America’s future to China.
“Governor Newsom will continue to lead in his absence.
“Foreign leaders are rejecting Trump and choosing California’s vision for the future.”
Observers noted the phrase “lead in his absence” frames Newsom not merely as a governor promoting trade, but as a rival national figure, intensifying questions about presidential ambitions.
Federalism and Foreign Policy Concerns
The episode has also renewed debate over the limits of state-level diplomacy.
Governors traditionally promote trade and investment abroad, but conducting parallel diplomatic outreach, signing defense-related agreements, and publicly undermining the president overseas represents a significant departure from precedent, critics argue.
Trump’s warning to the United Kingdom signaled that foreign governments engaging Newsom as a political counterweight risk friction with Washington, particularly amid ongoing tensions involving NATO funding, Arctic policy, and broader transatlantic relations.
Political Stakes Moving Forward
For Newsom, the trip underscores the contradiction at the center of his national ambitions as the Democrat governor seeks global leadership stature while governing a state facing persistent challenges tied to energy reliability, housing costs, regulation, and population outflow.
For President Trump, foreign policy authority rests with the White House, not Sacramento.
And as 2028 speculation quietly builds, the clash highlights an emerging reality inside Democrat politics that the next presidential contest may already be underway, on stages far beyond American soil.
READ MORE – Trump Humiliates Gavin Newsom in Front of World Leaders at WEF
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