California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, leads a state that can take weeks to settle an election, but threatens President Donald Trump, right, for pointing out California’s flaws. (Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images; Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images)
By Michael Schwarz June 9, 2026 at 3:52pm
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California on Tuesday raised the stakes of the midterm elections and the landscape for 2028 by issuing an implied threat of incarceration to President Donald Trump.
“Trump says voter fraud should land people in prison,” Newsom wrote on the social media platform X.
“Agreed,” the governor added. “And let’s start with the politicians spreading election lies with the goal of illegally interfering with counting ballots.”
Last week, California held open primaries, most notably for governor and Los Angeles mayor.
In the seven days since, mail-in ballots have slowly altered projected results.
For instance, in the Los Angeles mayoral race, election-night projections showed former reality TV star Spencer Pratt advancing to a November runoff against incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass. Now, however, progressive City Councilwoman Nithya Raman looks poised to advance.
Meanwhile, the largest U.S. state continues counting ballots at a snail’s pace that even prominent liberals have criticized.
Do you trust California’s election process?
This banana republic-like method of conducting an election has raised suspicions, notably from Trump. The president, of course, has always maintained that Democrats used mail-in ballots to cheat him out of the 2020 election.
Newsom, however, was not finished making threats.
“In California, I just signed a law making that punishable with up to 3 years behind bars. More to come. FAFO, Donald,” the governor concluded.
Trump says voter fraud should land people in prison.
Agreed. And let’s start with the politicians spreading election lies with the goal of illegally interfering with counting ballots.
In California, I just signed a law making that punishable with up to 3 years behind bars.…
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2026
In a May 27 news release, Newsom’s office announced that the governor had signed Senate Bill 73.
As the release makes clear, the bill is aimed at “growing threats of election interference and intimidation, including efforts by allies of President Donald Trump to undermine confidence in elections and disrupt lawful election administration.”
The text of the bill contains nothing about “politicians spreading election lies with the goal of illegally interfering with counting ballots,” as Newsom put it, but the wording of Newsom’s post implies he has creative ideas on how it could be enforced.
The implicit message is that questioning the clearly questionable election process in California constitutes “election interference and intimidation” by undermining “confidence in elections.”
Newsom writes, the punishment for that is “up to 3 years behind bars.”
Newsom, meanwhile, has tried to position himself as Trump’s chief antagonist, most likely in anticipation of a 2028 presidential run.
And that was the real message of Tuesday’s post from the governor. The anti-Trump lawfare of the Biden years is on the agenda if he gets into the White House.
And he wants the whole country — but especially Democratic primary voters — to know it.
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Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.
Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.
