California Governor Gavin Newsom went public on Monday with a direct challenge to President Donald Trump, declaring that he and his wife had been placed on what he described as the president's 'hit list' after the Department of Justice launched a probe targeting the pair. In a video posted to X, Newsom closed his remarks with a defiant message aimed squarely at the White House: 'Mr President, come after me. I am not going anywhere.'
The governor, who has been openly weighing a 2028 presidential bid, did not mince words. He accused Trump of ordering the investigation not because of any wrongdoing, but as an act of political intimidation. 'They have not found a crime,' Newsom wrote in his post. 'They are simply trying to find one.'
Agents at the Door
According to Newsom's official statement, federal agents had already been knocking on the doors of family friends and former employees in the days before he went public. He said investigators had been 'demanding records' and were 'abusing the grand jury process,' combing through what he described as 'years and years of random documents' without a clear basis for the probe.
Newsom was direct about the motive he believes is driving the investigation. 'He isn't coming after me because of mean tweets,' he wrote, 'but because I am considering running for President.' He went further, saying Trump 'hates' that he has consistently criticised him, and described the president as 'the most corrupt President in American history.' His office added that Trump had 'turned the levers of government into his own personal power ministries to reward cronies and to try to jail his opponents.'
His Wife Drawn In
The investigation, according to Newsom, has not been limited to him. His wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, has also been drawn into the probe. Newsom said the targeting of his wife represented a line being crossed. 'If he can't intimidate me, he'll go after the mother of our children,' he said. 'Donald Trump picked the wrong target.'
A spokesperson for the US Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment following Newsom's statement. The White House deferred all questions to the Justice Department. Neither side has provided details about the scope or subject matter of the investigation.
Today, my wife & I joined Donald Trump’s hit list. He has directed his Department of Justice to investigate us. They have not found a crime - they are simply trying to find one.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 15, 2026
He isn't coming after me because of mean tweets, but because I am considering running for President.… pic.twitter.com/tVYk3WUvO8
Not the Only Target
Newsom is not the only prominent Democrat facing federal scrutiny. Representative Eric Swalwell, who announced a bid to succeed Newsom as governor in 2026, was referred to the DOJ in November 2025 by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte over allegations of mortgage and tax fraud — allegations Swalwell has denied. He described himself as 'the most vocal critic of Donald Trump over the last decade' and said the only thing that surprised him 'is that it took him this long to come after me.' Swalwell has since filed a lawsuit against Pulte.
A Documented Pattern
The tensions between Newsom and Trump stretch back months. In January 2026, Trump posted on Truth Social that 'The Fraud Investigation of California has begun,' describing the state as 'more corrupt than Minnesota,' without providing specifics on what the probe would entail. In response, Newsom's communications director Izzy Gardon called Trump 'a deranged, habitual liar whose relationship with reality ended years ago.' The two sides have also clashed over immigration enforcement, energy policy, and the federalisation of the National Guard to Los Angeles earlier in 2025.
A documented and growing list of the Trump administration's actions against the president's perceived political opponents, including indictments, investigations, and security clearance revocations targeting figures ranging from former FBI Director James Comey to New York Attorney General Letitia James. Newsom said the country is watching and that he has 'nothing to hide.'
