'Methodically disparaging': Analysis pinpoints crucial strategy to Trump’s game plan

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives at LaGuardia Airport in New York, U.S., September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

Back in July, Morning Consult published approval ratings for governors in all 50 states. Vermont's Phil Scott, a moderate non-MAGA Republican, topped the list with 72 percent approval. Although the Democratic Party itself has weak approval ratings, some Democratic governors fared well in Morning Consult's polling — including Kentucky's Andy Beshear with 66 percent approval, Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro with 61 percent approval, and Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer with 58 percent approval. California's Gavin Newsom had 53 percent approval.

President Donald Trump has been having a war of words with Newsom, who trolls the president relentlessly on social media and is fueling speculation that he plans to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.

In an article published on September 13, Axios' Alex Isenstadt stresses that attacking Democratic governors is not a mere afterthought for Trump but rather, part of a strategic game plan.

Trump, according to Isenstadt, is "disparaging" Newsom and others with the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential race in mind.

"President Trump is methodically disparaging potential Democratic presidential contenders — an early sign he plans to aggressively engage in the 2028 race to succeed him," Isenstadt reports. "Why it matters: Trump's legacy will be on the line in that election, and aides expect him to try to influence the shape of the campaign — and the 2026 midterms — through his robustly funded political operation and his push to define Democratic and Republican contenders. "

Trump, the Axios reporter notes, "has suggested that he thinks Vice President (JD) Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio are probably the Republicans with the best chance of succeeding him" — although at the moment, he is "focused on defining Democrats."

"That's partly why he's been throwing politically charged darts at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore — calling out crime, homelessness and illegal immigration in California, describing Chicago as a 'war zone' of violence and Baltimore as a 'hellhole' of crime," according to Isenstadt. "None of the governors has said they're running in 2028 — Moore has even said he's not running — but that hasn't stopped Trump from casting them as far-out-of-the-mainstream liberals."

Isenstadt adds, "Eachof the governorshas pushed back against Trump sending in National Guard troops to their cities, as he's done in Los Angeles and D.C…. The big picture: Republicans say Trump's offensive isn't just about 2028 — it's also about the 2026 midterms. They argue the GOP needs boogeymen to run against — a role that possible 2028 Democratic contenders can fill…. For Democrats, focusing on the president is a good way for possible 2028 contenders to prove their anti-Trump bona fides. That's certainly been the case for Newsom, who's risen in polls of a hypothetical Democratic primary — and in some ways has become the face of the Democratic resistance."

Read Alex Isenstadt's full article for Axios at this link.

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