Newsom takes his anti-Trump arguments to Europe during Munich Security Conference

California Governor Newsom Takes Global Stage, Eyes 2028 with International Diplomacy

All the world’s a stage for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has taken his political ambitions to the international arena with back-to-back appearances at high-profile global forums. The second-term governor, widely viewed as a likely 2028 presidential candidate, addressed the Munich Security Conference just weeks after appearing at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“I hope, if there’s nothing else I can communicate today: Donald Trump is temporary. He’ll be gone in three years,” Newsom told his European audience on Friday, setting a tone that balanced reassurance to international allies with pointed criticism of the former president.

While climate policy was the official topic of Friday’s discussion, Newsom seized the opportunity to criticize Trump for “doubling down on stupid” by dismantling America’s carbon pollution regulations. His remarks came just one day after the EPA, under Trump’s direction, repealed the government’s finding that carbon emissions are harmful—a move Trump celebrated as “the single largest deregulatory action in American history.”

The governor’s international itinerary extends beyond climate discussions. On Saturday, while still in Europe, Newsom is scheduled to formalize a new partnership with Ukraine, signing a memorandum of understanding aimed at “advancing cooperation on economic recovery, innovation, and resilience,” according to his office. He will also participate in a panel discussion on international alliances, providing another platform to contrast his approach with Trump’s on NATO, international waters policy, and military interventions abroad.

“At a time when Donald Trump is turning his back on allies, attacking clean energy, and siding with the powerful over working people, Gov. Newsom is inking new partnerships that create jobs, grow businesses, and create opportunity,” his office stated, though specific details of the Ukraine agreement remain undisclosed.

Democratic strategists see these moves as calculated positioning for 2028. “He is certainly trying to project front-runner vibes,” noted Zac McCrary, a Democratic pollster who has worked with Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris campaigns. “And like any Democratic governor trying to run for president, you have to build your national security credential, foreign policy chops. He’s in that phase here.”

The Germany trip comes just before Newsom makes a return visit to South Carolina, a key early presidential primary state, further fueling speculation about his national ambitions. Over the past year, Newsom has refined his approach to countering Trump, using social media to mock the president in his own style while leveraging his gubernatorial power to redraw California’s congressional maps in Democrats’ favor.

Newsom isn’t alone in Munich—Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, both prominent Democrats with potential national futures, are also in attendance. “Foreign policy can be a proxy for gravitas, for maturity, for stability,” McCrary observed, adding that such credentials will be valuable if Democrats seek “the antidote to Trump” in 2028.

During Friday’s climate discussion, Newsom strategically balanced his environmental credentials with bipartisan historical context. He pointed out that “California has been a leader in climate policy going back to Ronald Reagan,” noting that the Republican icon enacted the first U.S. tailpipe emissions standards in 1967 as California governor. Newsom also referenced Republican President Richard Nixon, who followed California’s lead with the federal Clean Air Act in 1970.

Newsom emphasized that climate policy arguments should be economic, not just moral. He referenced California’s wildfires—exacerbated by climate change—that have driven up insurance rates and left some properties uninsurable. “There is no Republican thermometer. There is no Democratic thermometer,” Newsom said. “There’s just reality.”

He challenged Trump’s framing that cleaner energy policy is too costly by pointing to China’s GDP growth and arguing that alternative energy investments create multiplier effects throughout the economy. “It’s incredibly important that we talk in those terms to address some of the political dynamics,” he concluded.

Through these international appearances, Newsom’s advisers are positioning him as a governor with global influence—a stature they believe sets him apart from other potential 2028 contenders from less populous states or lower offices.