On Thursday, July 17, 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) criticized former President Donald Trump’s primetime speech that questioned the security of U.S. election systems. Newsom warned that Trump’s remarks were a precursor to meddling in the upcoming midterm elections.

In a 53-second video posted on social media, Newsom likened the speech to the “ramblings of a mad king,” suggesting it provided a “legitimate” case for Trump’s removal under the 25th Amendment. He said, “Well, the only thing missing tonight in Donald Trump’s speech was tin foil,” referencing Trump’s widely unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Newsom emphasized the reality of foreign interference in elections but stated, “Nothing about what you watched tonight, though, was real.” He cautioned that Trump, a possible 2028 presidential contender and one of his most outspoken critics, aims to “rig” the November election because “he knows he’s going to lose.” Newsom added, “He needs to rig the election before one vote was cast. That’s what that whole thing was about tonight.”

Trump’s speech included an announcement that he would declassify documents revealing “unexpected” vulnerabilities in voting machines and alleged Chinese meddling in his 2020 loss to President Biden.

Some GOP members of Congress expressed reluctance for Trump to revisit old, unproven claims, fearing it could detract from their policy achievements. Meanwhile, Newsom called on voters to “step up and step in, mobilize, organize, not agonize and turn out in record numbers this November and end Donald Trump’s presidency as we know it.”