California Governor Gavin Newsom is once again taking aim at former President Donald Trump — this time accusing Trump’s Justice Department of acting like his “personal attorney.”
During an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Newsom made it clear he doesn’t trust the DOJ under a potential second Trump administration, dismissing the idea that it could act impartially in legal matters.
Host Kristen Welker asked directly, “Do you trust the Justice Department to handle these cases?”
Newsom’s blunt response: “Absolutely not.”
When Welker pressed further, “You don’t trust the Justice Department?” the governor doubled down: “Are you kidding? It’s a personal attorney.”
It’s the kind of rhetoric that’s become familiar from the California governor — a man often described as positioning himself as the ideological counterweight to Trump. Yet his comments raise serious questions about his own respect for American institutions. The same official who has defied federal immigration enforcement, attacked parental rights legislation, and sidestepped accountability for California’s massive homelessness and crime crises is now questioning the integrity of the nation’s top law enforcement agency — all because it’s no longer under left-wing control.
When asked whether he trusts the broader legal system, Newsom tried to pivot, saying, “I have the confidence in the lower courts and I’m holding hope that there’s one co-equal branch of government left and that’s the judiciary, but again, not on the basis of the shadow docket and the U.S. Supreme Court.”
He went on to claim Trump “is assaulting all institutions that stand in his way,” and added, “It’s not complicated posse comitatus, you cannot use the United States military for domestic law enforcement.”
For many Americans, Newsom’s words ring hollow. Under his leadership, California has seen an exodus of families and businesses, record-breaking taxes, rampant retail theft, and growing distrust in local government — all while he lectures Washington on constitutional limits.
What Newsom calls an “assault on institutions” looks to many like the very accountability voters have been demanding: a federal government that enforces the law, secures the border, and restores order after years of progressive overreach.
As talk grows that Newsom could step in as a future Democratic presidential contender, this latest outburst offers a telling glimpse into how he views power — not as a trust to be earned, but as something to be controlled.
