For Governor Gavin Newsom, the choice between adhering to political protocol and warning of national peril was an easy one. He chose to warn of peril, breaking the unwritten rule of Oval Office confidentiality to publicly accuse Donald Trump of seriously contemplating a third presidential term.
Newsom’s candid account of a private meeting with Trump, where the president allegedly discussed a third term at length, represents a deliberate decision to prioritize what he sees as the defense of democracy over the niceties of politics. “Apparently there are no rules any more,” he said, suggesting the old standards are obsolete.
This choice has thrust Newsom into the center of the national debate about Trump’s future and the strength of the U.S. Constitution. He is arguing that the peril posed by a leader who disregards term limits is so great that it necessitates a departure from standard political behavior.
Ultimately, Newsom is asking the public to agree with his choice—to see his disclosure not as a breach of trust, but as a fulfillment of a higher duty to protect the country from a looming constitutional crisis. His actions have redefined the boundaries of political opposition in the Trump era.