How Trump is elevating potential 2028 Democrats

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, a newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, Melanie Zanona breaks down how President Donald Trump’s blue-city crackdowns are giving Democratic governors with an eye on the next White House contest an opportunity. Plus, in lighter fare, Allan Smith and Amanda Terkel explain why it’s good to be a guy named Josh right now.

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— Adam Wollner

How Trump is elevating potential 2028 Democrats

By Melanie Zanona

President Donald Trump picked a fresh fight this weekend with Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, adding Baltimore to his ever-growing list of potential targets for a crime crackdown.

After Moore invited Trump to come walk the streets of Baltimore, Trump not only threatened to send federal troops to Charm City, but also personally attacked Moore and even floated the idea of yanking funding for the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland.

Yet Moore, a rising star in Democratic politics who could be in the mix for president in 2028, appears to be welcoming the feud with open arms. He quickly fired back at Trump and is already making the media rounds following his weekend war of words with Trump.

As part of that media tour, Moore also challenged Trump on another front: redistricting. He left the door open on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” to pursuing a mid-decade redraw of Maryland’s congressional lines in response to a new map that Texas Republicans passed at Trump’s urging.

The governor is hardly alone in relishing the opportunity to take on Trump.

From the mobilization of federal troops to the nationwide redistricting battle, some of Trump’s recent actions are inadvertently providing Democratic presidential hopefuls a prime platform to confront him head-on. And at a time when the party’s base is clamoring for their leaders to put up a fight, it could give some ambitious Democratic politicians just the juice they were looking for.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is perhaps the most obvious example. He’s leading the charge to counter Texas’ redistricting effort and framing it as a way to stick it to Trump. In the process, Newsom has been raising money and his national profile, mocking Trump’s style on social media. And earlier this year, he led the charge in speaking out against Trump’s troop deployment to Los Angeles amid unrest over immigration raids.

Then there’s Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, another possible 2028 contender and outspoken Trump critic who offered safe haven to Texas Democrats who fled the state in an attempt to block new congressional maps. Pritzker, too, is pushing back forcefully against any effort by Trump to send National Guard troops to Chicago.

Trump’s public elevation of these potential Democratic White House hopefuls raises questions about whether some of these fights could backfire for the president. But Republicans feel like they’re on solid footing, especially when it comes to crime, an issue where they see Democrats as particularly weak.

“Look at Gov. Pritzker in Illinois, or Gov. Newsom in Los Angeles, or Gov. Moore in Maryland. They are angrier about the fact that the president of the United States is offering to help them get their crime under control than they are about the fact that murderers are running roughshod over their cities and have been for decades,” Vice President JD Vance said while appearing alongside Trump in the Oval Office today.

For now, though, the collective response from Democratic governors in the blue states Trump has set his sights on seems to be: Bring it on.

🏛️ Latest from D.C.: Trump signed executive orders aimed at eliminating cashless bail for suspects arrested in Washington, D.C., and in other jurisdictions around the nation with similar policies. Meanwhile, National Guard troops Trump deployed to the district began carrying firearms on Sunday evening.

It’s the golden age of ‘Josh’

By Allan Smith and Amanda Terkel

Joshes are having a moment.

As it stands, there’s a nonzero chance that the presidential election could feature a matchup of Joshes as both Republican and Democratic Joshes rise within their parties. As the NFL season kicks off, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is looking to repeat as the league’s MVP award winner — and finally lead his team to the Super Bowl. Josh wine, meanwhile, is a top seller. And “Weapons,” a horror film starring actor Josh Brolin, topped the box office charts last week.

Three of the nation’s 50 governor’s mansions are currently occupied by Jewish men named Josh — and while Josh trails only Mike as the most common gubernatorial name, the Joshes could soon be joined by namesakes in Wisconsin and Guam, bolting into the lead.

What’s more, these Joshes have bonded over their shared Old Testament names.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told NBC News that he, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein have communicated in a group chat for Joshes only.

“It might have been called ‘Three Joshes,’” Green said. “I’m not exactly sure. It certainly was pinned in my phone, and it’s a fun thing. Plus, we get together periodically at the National Governors Association meetings or the Democratic Governors Association gatherings. So it’s quite cool. And I really like those guys.”

A source familiar with the group chat, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the off-the-record Josh deliberations, said the text thread “consists of a lot of Joshin’ around.”

On a more serious note, Joshes who spoke with NBC News said they too have noticed their name come of age, signaling a greater shift in society — away from boomer Bobs and Dougs, and toward a younger generation of Gen Xers and millennials who, after many years waiting behind older generations, are finally coming to power.

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That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.

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