As speculation continues to build around a potential Gavin Newsom campaign for president in 2028, Hollywood’s donor class is already signaling its enthusiasm.
A new Deadline report shows that top producers, industry strategists, and major Democratic fundraisers are lining up early behind the California governor, praising his profile and combative posture toward the White House. But while celebrity and studio support appear strong, the conditions in Newsom’s home state tell a far more complicated story — one that may undermine the image being projected from Los Angeles.
Hollywood Cheers Newsom for President, Big Checks Already Flowing
In Deadline’s reporting, donor enthusiasm is loud and unmistakable.
“He’s a fighter, that’s what we need,” one Hollywood producer told the outlet.
Another added frustration that more Democrats are not following Newsom’s aggressive approach toward political opponents.
Charlie Kirk sits down with California Governor Gavin Newsom – YouTube, Charlie Kirk
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James Costos, a longtime Democratic insider, told Deadline the donor class is fully mobilizing.
“Enthusiasm by L.A. donors is very strong and very encouraging,” he said. “Big checks are being written.”
Costos indicated that donor momentum has been “building” after early hesitancy following the 2024 election.
Political strategist Mathew Littman also backed the preparation underway, telling Deadline: “You really have to establish those relationships and start working on them.”
President Donald Trump speaks at CPAC in 2017 – YouTube, The New York Times
Despite these confident signals, other industry players admitted there is not yet a consensus on the eventual nominee. A major producer acknowledged there isn’t “a consensus yet on who the best candidate will be in ’28,” even as many are positioning themselves to board “the Newsom train” should it take off.
Homelessness and Public Safety: California’s Largest Challenge
While donors praise his national positioning, California continues facing the largest homelessness crisis in the country.
Leonardo DiCaprio looking devastated in the trailer to One Battle After Another – YouTube, Warner Bros. UK & Ireland
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According to statewide reporting and recent homelessness assessments, more than 181,000 people experience homelessness nightly in California, nearly a third of the national total. The figure has grown year-over-year during Newsom’s tenure, particularly in major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Public-safety concerns tied to encampments, drug use, and infrastructure strain have prompted state and federal reviews, demonstrating the gulf between Hollywood’s confidence in Newsom and the day-to-day realities on the ground.
January 2025 LA Wildfires Exposed Major Preparedness Gaps
Within the last year, Los Angeles was hit by a historic wildfire disaster — one that scorched communities directly tied to Hollywood and revealed serious weaknesses in disaster readiness.
The Palisades Fire burned through Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and nearby communities, destroying over 6,800 structures and causing 12 deaths. Reports described it as the most destructive wildfire Los Angeles has ever faced.
The Sunset fire burning in the Hollywood Hills – YouTube, Fox 11 Los Angeles
The Eaton Fire, starting the same week, burned 14,021 acres, destroyed over 9,400 structures, and led to more than 100,000 evacuations.
Several recognizable filming locations — including properties used in Hacks, Matilda, and Entourage — were destroyed. Even studio operations were disrupted, with Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune halting tapings due to hazardous conditions near Culver City.
Building burn as a major fire rips through Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills – YouTube, Fox 11 Los Angeles
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The fires hit at a moment when Newsom has styled himself as a national climate leader, yet emergency response reviews cited resource shortages, overwhelmed personnel, and significant communication failures. For voters outside of California, the contrast between political messaging and on-the-ground results may prove difficult to ignore.
Hollywood Production Leaves Los Angeles Despite Incentives
The Deadline report praises Newsom’s expansion of the film and TV tax credit program to $750 million annually. But despite this investment, the outflow of productions from California continues — something industry observers and insiders have acknowledged for years.
Bob Iger via CNBC Television YouTube
Rising costs, regulations, and infrastructure constraints have made states like Georgia, New York, and international hubs more competitive, but recently major studios like Disney have shifted production overseas to the U.K.
Even as Hollywood elites back Newsom for president in 2028, their studios and production partners keep moving work elsewhere.
Celebrity Endorsements Failed in 2024 — And May Not Help Newsom Either
The Deadline article highlights a renewed push from Hollywood’s biggest donors, but the 2024 election demonstrated that celebrity influence has stark limits.
The cast of The Avengers staged a Zoom call in support of Kamala Harris for U.S. President – YouTube, SkyNews Australia
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Dozens of high-profile entertainers supported Kamala Harris throughout the race — including chart-topping musicians, Oscar winners, and online influencers. Despite that, Harris lost to President Trump in a landslide.
Multiple post-election analyses found celebrity endorsements had little impact on voter behavior.
A screenshot of Oprah Winfrey and Kamala Harris from the Harris Campaign Town Call – YouTube, Kamala Harris
If a potential Gavin Newsom campaign for president relies on Hollywood star power, the 2024 results raise questions about whether fame-driven messaging carries real electoral weight nationally.
A Growing National Spotlight
Hollywood donors may see Newsom as the Democrats’ strongest option for 2028. The enthusiasm documented in Deadline is real, and reflects a donor class eager for a new standard-bearer. But the challenges in Newsom’s own state — homelessness, wildfire response failures, production departures, and public frustration over cost of living — present a contrasting narrative that opponents will undoubtedly highlight.
Gavin Newsom speaking at an event – Office of the Governor of California, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
California is the governor’s record. And as the national spotlight grows brighter, voters beyond Los Angeles may judge it very differently than the industry currently investing in him.
Do you think Gavin Newsom could be the next president with Hollywood’s backing? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
Of course, Hollywood celebs will campaign for the traitor, Gavin Newsom. Even if they don’t want to, they are all bribed and blackmailed (Epstein and Diddy videos) to do it.
I’m certain celeb endorsements actually *hurt* Cackles and Tampon Tim in ’24. After so many years of seeing them push destructive Maoist (woke) ideology, anything they support is tainted by proxy. As for Newscum, only Californians would vote for him; the rest of the country wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot cattle prod.
Saying this as someone who lives in California, I think Newsom would actually be a worse choice than Kamala was.
This state has become an expensive, unlivable ****hole with this guy in charge. Just imagine what he’d do to the rest of the country.
It’ll be interesting to see how his decades of failure work Country wide. Just like Justin Trudeau, Newsome has a certain charisma that a lot of ladies prefer in their candidates, despite a track record of wreaking havoc on his state those females put him over the top for CA governer.
It’ll be his fiscal failures in things like : Train to Nowhere, closure of refineries, huge CA tax increases, homeless along with civic failures like forest management, obstructing ICE, and cutting the knees out from under LEOs in general against the hatred of MAGA, despite measurable success, cultivated by those on the right and left.
Considering we’re likely to end up with Vance or DeSantis as the GOP candidate the party will have to overcome two things:
1. People’s lack of understanding of Tariffs and
2. People feeling guilty about the measures taken to clean out not just illegals, but also naturalized citizens who are showing distinctly anti-American traits, not assimilating and generally spitting in the face of, and trying to destroy a US culture that has been kicked around a little too much for many people.