Trump Mulling Active Role In Effort to Recall California Gov. Newsom

Former President Donald Trump reportedly is contemplating getting involved in the effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Trump could hold rallies in California if a runoff election gets scheduled for later this year.

Jason Miller, a top Trump adviser, told the Washington Examiner the former president had not committed to participating against Newsom, though that could change.

Trump largely has remained out of sight since leaving Washington, D.C., and settling at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla. That might be changing, however, as earlier this week the former president drove by a nearby Presidents' Day rally, and released a scathing statement about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Organizers behind the "Recall Newsom 2020" movement must get 1.5 million signatures on their petition by mid-March to trigger a special statewide election, which would be held 60 to 80 days later.

Newsom has been criticized for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which state lockdowns have closed schools and businesses. Heat on the governor intensified after he was photographed maskless during a birthday dinner at an upscale Napa Valley restaurant, breaching his own coronavirus restrictions.

Defeating a Democrat in a deep blue state where Joe Biden defeated Trump by nearly 30 percentage points would not be easy, though Newsom's popularity has fallen drastically since last year.

Trump still wields power within the GOP as his supporters comprise a large part of the party's makeup.

"[Trump] is weighing holding rallies in California over the next couple of months," according to a Bloomberg reporter.

John Cox, who lost to Newsom in the 2018 governor's race, and Kevin Faulconer, a former San Diego mayor, are Republicans who've announced their candidacies. Trump ally Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and ex-acting director of National Intelligence, reportedly is considering a gubernatorial run.

The Republican National Committee last week committed $250,000 to the recall Newsom bid.

In a possible bellwether for Republicans, the GOP late last year regained three Southern California House seats it had lost in the 2018 midterm elections.