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Green: Americans May Want a Peacemaker in 2028 — Can Gavin Newsom Fill That Role?

01:30 AM, 11/22/2025
Green: Americans May Want a Peacemaker in 2028 — Can Gavin Newsom Fill That Role?

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Americans may crave a unifying leader after a second Trump term and questioned whether Gavin Newsom would be seen as that peacemaker. Green praised Newsom’s redistricting work but warned Newsom risks being labeled "a radical from California." He urged candidates to adopt more conciliatory rhetoric and policy ideas and said he might run for president but would prefer to support another contender. Green emphasized the need for leaders who can bridge ideological divides.

Scottsdale, Ariz. — Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, who has signaled interest in a possible presidential bid, warned that after a second Trump term many Americans may be looking for a leader who can heal partisan divisions — and he questioned whether California Gov. Gavin Newsom would be perceived as that kind of peacemaker.

In an interview at a meeting of the Western Governors Association, Green said voters tired of nonstop political combat are likely to favor conciliatory, unifying leadership over politicians known for brazen, “hand-to-hand combat” tactics.

Green acknowledged Newsom’s strengths — praising his successful effort to redraw U.S. House districts in California to help Democratic prospects — but said he fears Newsom could be portrayed as “a radical from California” by skeptical voters beyond the coasts.

“But if Gavin is ultimately going to win over America, he will have to also adopt some of the conciliatory, collegial rhetoric — or even policy ideas — that others are going for,” Green said.

Green said he hopes both parties will nominate candidates committed to healing the nation’s partisan rifts, warning the country is “dangerously close to a political civil war.” He offered himself, along with Democratic governors Wes Moore and Josh Shapiro and Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, as examples of leaders who could bridge divides.

While Green did not rule out a run for president, he said he would prefer to back another candidate and indicated the governorship of Hawaii is likely to be his final elected office. He is preparing to seek reelection next year as he enters the final year of his first term.

Newsom has at times tried more conciliatory gestures, notably early in the year when he briefly reached out across the aisle — a move that drew criticism from some on the left. More recently, he has taken a sharply oppositional tone toward former President Trump, opposing troop deployments to California and leading a high-profile redistricting fight.

His office has also leaned into satire and mimicry on social media as a way to blunt and spotlight the former president’s actions, a strategy that appeals to Democrats who favor a direct, adversarial approach.

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