Overview

• Newsom is halfway through his two-day, eight-stop tour in rural South Carolina, meeting voters at cafes, churches and community centers in GOP-leaning counties.
• He used the forums to criticize President Trump’s administration for rolling back civil rights protections and ramping up immigration enforcement.
• South Carolina Republicans have mocked his agenda and urged Trump supporters to welcome him with protest, branding his trip opportunistic.
• California gubernatorial hopeful Steve Hilton slammed Newsom for leaving the state during ongoing wildfire cleanup, calling the tour a distraction.
• Rep. Jim Clyburn’s introduction inadvertently acknowledged Newsom as a presidential contender, further fueling speculation about his 2028 ambitions.