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

The 25th Amendment to the Constitution, in part, describes a process by which the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet can declare a president unable to perform his duties, putting the vice president in charge, at least temporarily.

Newsom dismissed Trump’s claims as “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,” Newsom said. “That’s what that whole thing was about tonight.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to President Donald Trump at Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 24, 2025.

AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File

While Trump is not on the ballot this fall, his sagging approval rating is creating a drag on Republican candidates across the country. Most analysts believe the GOP will lose control of the House, and others say there’s even a chance that Democrats could take control of the Senate, too.

Newsom, who is considering a 2028 presidential run, urged voters to turn out in record numbers this fall to reject Trump’s agenda and “end Donald Trump’s presidency as we know it.”

See his full message below: