Gavin Newsom Says JD Vance ‘Scares’ Him As Potential MAGA Successor

California Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged this week that Vice President JD Vance worries him as a possible successor to President Donald Trump heading into the 2028 presidential race.

Speaking with former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on MS NOW, Newsom dismissed the idea that figures such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio could successfully carry forward the Make America Great Again movement. However, he singled out Vance as a different matter.

Marco Rubio is a complete fraud. But no one tops JD Vance. Talk about a guy who put a mask on his face and grew into it. Pathetic. pic.twitter.com/fNbTEYJY4z

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) February 26, 2026

“For whatever reason, Vance scares me,” Newsom said, adding that the vice president concerned him “almost more than Trump.” When pressed on why, Newsom criticized Vance and others whom he said had once been sharp critics of Trump but later aligned with him politically.

Newsom described Vance as “a unique fraud and phony” and suggested that individuals in his orbit were “dangerous.” He also accused certain major Republican donors of expressing what he called a “nihilism” about global affairs.

During the exchange, Newsom speculated that Trump could attempt to shape the 2028 field by backing a preferred successor late in his term. He also floated the possibility that Trump might attempt to remain politically active beyond a second term, though Trump has repeatedly stated that he does not intend to seek a third term.

President Trump has publicly praised both Vance and Rubio in the past, saying each would be capable leaders. He has not formally endorsed a 2028 successor.

Newsom’s remarks highlight growing Democratic concern about the Republican bench beyond Trump himself, particularly as Vance’s national profile has risen since assuming the vice presidency.