Gavin Newsom Trashes Trump’s ‘Tin Foil’ Speech as a ’25th Amendment Moment’: ‘Ramblings of a Mad King’

(Andrew Leyden | Associated Press)

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) trashed President Donald Trump’s election fraud speech on Thursday as the “ramblings of a mad king” and a “legitimate 25th Amendment moment” as he accused the president of laying the groundwork to undermine this year’s midterm elections before a single ballot has been cast.

Responding after Trump delivered a speech filled with claims of election fraud, the governor dismissed the president’s remarks as detached from reality. He argued they were aimed at preserving Republican power in Congress rather than addressing legitimate concerns about voting.

“Well, the only thing missing tonight from Donald Trump’s speech was tin foil,” Newsom said. “This was a legitimate 25th Amendment moment, the ramblings of a mad king.”

The 25th Amendment provides a constitutional process through which a vice president and a majority of the Cabinet can declare a president unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office, temporarily transferring authority to the vice president.

Newsom rejected Trump’s claims outright: “Don’t get me wrong, foreign interference in our elections, that’s a real thing. Nothing about what you watched tonight, though, was real. It’s make-believe.”

“He wants to rig the election in 2026. He knows he’s going to lose. He needs to rig the election before one vote was cast,” he continued. “That’s what that whole thing was about tonight.”

“This is a serious and profound moment where we can either fall prey to cynicism, fear and anxiety or we can step up and step in, mobilize,” he added.

Control of Congress is on the table in November as Republicans seek to defend their House majority while Democrats are seeking to capitalize on mounting political headwinds facing the White House.

Newsom argued voters have an opportunity to deliver a decisive verdict on Trump’s agenda at the ballot box, urging a strong turnout in the fall elections for the chance to “end Donald Trump’s presidency as we know it.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!