DeSantis, Newsom offer stark contrast with Trump responses

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) are offering a striking split screen in how some red and blue states are readying for President-elect Trump’s controversial second-term plans.  

DeSantis this week called a special session of the Sunshine State legislature to swiftly implement Trump’s immigration agenda – a stark contrast to Newsom, who called a special session in California after the election to protect progressive state laws. And while DeSantis only appears to be strengthening his ties to Trump, Newsom is positioning himself as a leader of the Democratic resistance.  

The rival governors, both stars in their respective parties, epitomize the national political divide as individual states brace for Trump’s Day 1 agenda, which includes major changes on immigration, energy and foreign policy. And as 2028 talk starts to swirl, they underscore that both parties are already looking beyond the next four years.   

“It’s no secret that both of these guys want to be president and they’re jockeying now for the future,” said California-based Democratic strategist Steven Maviglio.  

“They each want to play a leadership role on either side of the aisle in supporting or opposing Trump, and that is what they have in common.” 

This week, DeSantis took major steps to partner with the incoming administration on immigration, a top issue for the president-elect. On Wednesday, the Florida governor announced a number of priorities for implementing Trump’s immigration agenda during the special session, including plans to appoint a state liaison dedicated to working with the administration on immigration.  

A source familiar told The Hill that Trump and DeSantis had been engaged in talks about the implementation of the agenda for two to three weeks.  

The Florida governor sets an example for other red-state governors seeking to further ingratiate themselves with Trump.

That’s a distinctly different response to Trump’s immigration plans than what’s been seen in California.  

Newsom quickly declared the Golden State “ready to fight” after Trump’s election and called a special session of his state legislature to bolster progressive policies. In a proclamation, he warned that “the consequences of his presidency for California may be significant and immediate.” This week, though,Newsom expanded the special session agenda to include addressing the devastating wildfires around Los Angeles.   

The two governors are offering “alternative ways of governing big states” under a second Trump presidency, said Jesse Rhodes, a a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.   

Though it’s no surprise that leaders of red and blue states are reacting differently to an incoming Republican administration, Trump’s unprecedented return to the Oval Office — on the heels of his felony conviction and as President Biden warns of a rising oligarchy — changes the game.   

It’s even divided Democrats, some of whom, like Newsom, are rallying in a so-called resistance, while others are reportedly considering a softer posture toward the White House.  

When it comes to Newsom and DeSantis in particular, a key factor looming over their diverging responses is the speculation that both men have national ambitions.  

Both governors are ineligible to run for a third term in their respective states in 2026 — so, with Biden out of the picture and Trump entering his final term, both could make plays for the White House as soon as 2028. 

Early polling from Echelon Insights, conducted after the election late last year, indicates that Newsom is a step behind Vice President Harris as a top choice for the Democratic ticket next cycle, while DeSantis made the top five potential contenders on the GOP side. 

“Because Republicans are running the show for the next two years, what Democrats are going to have to do in the states is really use litigation and symbolic position-taking as ways to burnish their credentials,” Rhodes said, pointing to pushback against Trump from blue-state governors and attorneys general.  

And hopefuls in either party will need to "present an alternative vision” over the next two years, so that when the next presidential cycle “really starts to heat up, they will have records to run on and things to highlight.” 

For DeSantis, aligning himself with Trump strengthens his ties with the MAGA wing of the Republican Party, and sets him up as a possible successor when Trump is termed out in four years.  

Others are skeptical that either governor will ultimately become president given the deep bench of rising stars in both parties. 

As vice president-elect, JD Vance is seen as the heir apparent to Trump once the incoming president leaves office. As for the Democrats, Newsom is one of a few governors seen as future faces of the party, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). 

Newsom, along with other state and local officials in California, has also been on the receiving end of backlash for his handling of the wildfires. Additionally, he has faced criticism for his management of the coronavirus in California.  

“It’s like any other lame duck, I think people are just tired of it,” said Rob Stutzman, a California political consultant who was an aide to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). 

“He’s been governor for six years, what has he done?” he continued, pointing to homelessness, criminal justice reform and gas prices in the state.  

Republicans have focused on Newsom and California as emblematic of Democratic issues with crime and immigration. Trump, who refers to the governor as “Newscum,” called for Newsom to resign over the wildfires, and the governor has accused Trump of politicizing the disaster.  

“Conservatives are always eager to take shots at California because it has a national image as being a liberal bastion, but I actually think that it also reflects the perception that they perceive Newsom as a threat," Rhodes said of GOP attacks on the Golden State leader amid the wildfires. 

"If Newsom wasn't a threat, then I think Trump would ignore him for the most part.”  

DeSantis, whom Trump once dubbed “DeSanctimonious,” was seen as the top contender to challenge Trump in 2024 and knocked his rival along the campaign trail before dropping out and endorsing Trump early last year.   

In a sign of their recent thaw in relations, the pair met over golf in Florida this week.  

Matt Klink, a Republican strategist at Klink Campaigns in California, called the Trump-DeSantis friendship “one of political convenience.” 

“It's to both their advantage show that they're on the same team,” Klink said. “And as we get closer to the 2027, 2028 calendar years, you’re going to see anyone who’s interested, whether it’s DeSantis or others ... start [to show] how they will differentiate and go faster, how they’re going to do something better or more to the right than the president.”

DeSantis and Newsom have seemingly put their inter-state rivalry on pause at key points in recent months. Newsom has offered aid to Florida, most recently in October when he deployed a number of California first responders to the state as Hurricane Milton ravaged its west coast. DeSantis has offered aid to California amid the fires.  

And Newsom is reportedly directing California to join Republican governors in raising the American flag at the state Capitol, which is at half-mast for the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, to full height on Trump’s inauguration day. 

When asked about the rivalry, one Florida Republican political consultant said DeSantis feels he has won the debate with Newsom over who has the better governing style or philosophy.  

“I honestly don’t think he sees him as a rival anymore,” the consultant said. “I think he sees him as a failure.”