California Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump Accounts "one of the best things" the president has done and urged Californians to sign up, a rare embrace of Trump policy that conservatives say reveals more about Newsom's 2028 ambitions than his policy convictions.
Newsom appeared at a press conference Friday alongside California First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom to promote the federal children's savings program, which deposits $1,000 into market-indexed investment accounts for babies born during President Trump's second term. Parents, guardians, family members, and employers can contribute up to $5,000 annually. The governor went out of his way to strip the politics from the pitch, telling Californians not to let partisanship stop them from opening an account for their newborns.
The spectacle of one of the Democratic Party's most prominent Trump critics standing at a podium and championing a signature Trump initiative drew immediate attention, and skepticism, from commentators on both sides. Conservative creator Charles Hurt, Republican state legislators, and social media users all read the same subtext: a governor who has spent years positioning himself as Trump's foil is now borrowing Trump's policy wins to build a moderate national profile ahead of a likely presidential run.
At the press conference, Newsom framed his support as a straightforward matter of helping families. Fox News Digital reported that the governor told attendees not to let fear or cynicism keep them from participating.
"I'm enthusiastic about encouraging people to get a Trump account. I think it's incredibly important."
He continued: "It's one of the best things he's done, and so we're here to encourage people to take advantage of this." Newsom warned Californians not to "fall prey" to politics or "even the fear that if I download a Trump account somehow that means something." His bottom line: "It doesn't, it just means something for your kid. It's not Trump's money. It's your child's money."
The governor also used the appearance to highlight California's own CalKIDS program, which he said made 5.5 million students eligible for college and career savings. Jennifer Siebel Newsom championed CalKIDS, but the program has not matched the federal initiative's traction. The Sacramento Bee reported that CalKIDS "has not had the same successful launch as Trump accounts."
Trump Accounts, also called 530a accounts, were created by President Trump with bipartisan help from Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Cory Booker. The program launched on Independence Day and has drawn broad public support, an Urban Institute survey conducted in 2025 found that 76% of American adults back government-funded "baby bonds."
Philanthropists Michael and Susan Dell committed $6.25 billion to seed accounts for 25 million children in zip codes where median incomes fall below $150,000, the New York Post reported. That kind of private-sector buy-in has made the program one of the most popular domestic policy achievements of Trump's second term.
Charles Hurt did not hold back when he appeared on "Fox & Friends Weekend" to react. He called Newsom's praise a transparent bid for national credibility.
"Gavin Newsom, who fancies himself a 2028 nominee, has come out and said that he completely supports this and that he thinks it's the best thing President Trump has ever done. He is so thirsty."
Former White House press secretary Dana Perino, speaking on Fox News' "The Five," framed the moment as a preview of a crowded Democratic primary. She predicted the issue could divide the field.
"I think this is going to pit some of the 20 candidates [against each other at debates if they are collectively asked] 'Will you keep Trump accounts?'"
Perino's point lands harder when you consider the names already circling the 2028 conversation: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Newsom debated Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Fox News Channel in 2023, a matchup widely seen as a dry run for presidential ambitions. And Newsom has done little to shut the door. He told the Los Angeles Times that 2028 speculation is "wildly premature", but added, "I'd be lying" if he said he hasn't thought about running.
That admission sits awkwardly beside his insistence that praising Trump Accounts is just about the kids. Newsom has drawn this kind of suspicion before when crossing party lines to compliment the administration.
Newsom adopted a similar posture during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he publicly praised Trump as "thoughtful," "responsive," and "collaborative" in order to secure federal resources for California. He even borrowed Trump's own campaign slogan, "promise made, promise kept", after the state received testing swabs. California secured a federal disaster declaration reimbursing up to 75% of its coronavirus expenses, AP News reported.
Democratic strategist Bill Carrick told AP at the time that Newsom had "obviously separated his political preferences from trying to get as much help for California from the federal government in a really terrible situation." The pattern is consistent: when flattering Trump serves Newsom's interests, whether securing pandemic aid or burnishing moderate credentials, the governor finds the words.
This time, the stakes are different. Newsom is not trying to secure ventilators. He is trying to build a national brand that can survive a Democratic primary where the progressive base may not reward candidates for praising Trump's legacy.
California Assembly Minority Leader Alexandra Macedo, a Republican from Tulare, told Fox News Digital she was glad to see Newsom cooperate with the Trump administration but could not resist noting how unusual the moment was.
"It is good to see Gavin Newsom working with the Trump administration and recognizing a good idea when he sees one. Hopefully this is not Halley's Comet. Californians should not have to wait another 75 years for Newsom to do it again."
Macedo's quip captures the Republican view: Newsom's praise is welcome, but his record of opposing Trump policies makes it hard to take at face value. The governor spent years positioning himself as one of the president's fiercest critics. One press conference does not erase that.
Newsom also praised First Lady Melania Trump's "Fostering the Future" initiative, which addresses eligibility gaps for foster children in the Trump Accounts program. He enrolled California in the federal foster youth program after being prompted by former Republican Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Breitbart reported, and committed state appropriations to back the effort. Melania Trump unveiled the foster youth savings initiative as a first-of-its-kind federal program aimed at children aging out of the system.
Fox News host Jesse Watters drew a broader lesson from the moment, comparing Trump Accounts to President George W. Bush's proposal to partially privatize Social Security. Watters calculated that if Bush's plan had gone through, returns for seniors would have doubled and the program would be solvent instead of facing potential insolvency in the 2030s. Trump Accounts, in that light, represent the kind of ownership-society policy that Republicans have championed for decades, now with bipartisan validation from one of the most prominent Democrats in the country.
The program's early enrollment numbers reinforce the appeal. More than six million children signed up during the initial rollout, a figure that suggests parents across the political spectrum see the value.
On X, the reaction was swift and skeptical. Conservative podcaster Chad Law noted that "the outgoing Golden State governor and 2028 White House hopeful" was suddenly "enthusiastic" about a Republican initiative that creates investment accounts for children under 18. The popular account Defiant L's posted a simpler question: "Did something happen to Newsom?"
One anonymous user offered what may have been the sharpest read: "Uh oh... Newsom might have a decent campaign manager telling him to sound moderate, rational and team-building."
Newsom is not the only Democratic governor to praise the program. Maryland Governor Wes Moore called Trump Accounts "smart policy," according to a linked Fox News headline. But Newsom's embrace carries more weight because of his national profile and his transparent interest in the 2028 race.
When a politician who built his brand on opposing a president suddenly starts calling that president's signature program "one of the best things he's done," voters are right to ask who the real audience is, the families opening accounts, or the primary voters watching from a distance.
