California Governor Warns Trump Seeks Third Term Threatening US Democracy

California Governor Gavin Newsom has strongly warned that President Donald Trump is seriously considering running for a third term in 2028, despite constitutional term limits. Newsom cited Trump’s admiration for Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms, and revealed that Trump showed him a portrait of Roosevelt during a private Oval Office meeting. He also noted Trump’s construction of an elaborate $200 million ballroom at the White House as a sign of his intentions. Newsom accused Trump of attempting to rig elections and using federal forces such as the National Guard and ICE to maintain power, describing these moves as authoritarian threats to democracy. While Trump has publicly downplayed the possibility of a third term, Newsom emphasized the danger of normalizing such ambitions and urged Americans to wake up to the threat, calling for vigorous opposition. These warnings have sparked debate about democratic norms, with some Republicans dismissing Newsom’s concerns as political rhetoric.