The governor made the remark during a high-profile appearance on the Pivot podcast and at the California Agenda: Sacramento Summit, saying the coin would be tied to his “Campaign for Democracy.”
He framed the idea as a way to highlight what he calls the “absurdity” of well-known crypto maneuvers tied to the US President.
Gavin Newsom: “We’re about to put a meme coin out.”
Kara Swisher: “Is it going to be gold Gavin Coin?”
The coin tease was delivered with a jab: when asked if it would be called a “Gavin Coin,” he said no — it would be “Trump Corruption Coin.”
Based on reports, the governor also drew a contrast with tokens tied to Trump. He noted the President’s earlier foray into memecoins and recent crypto-linked activity surrounding his circles.
Reports have referenced Trump’s own Solana-based token, which was released earlier this year and has drawn scrutiny from critics.
Political strategists say the stunt serves a double purpose: it keeps Newsom in the headlines, and it forces conversation about the messy overlap between politics and crypto.
Campaign aides declined to lay out technical details immediately; it was not clear if the memecoin would be a fully tradable token, a novelty NFT, or a limited-run collectible tied to the Patriot Shop. What was made plain is that the move is satirical and activist in tone.
Observers will watch three things closely: whether the coin is minted on a public blockchain, how much money it raises, and how regulators respond.
This development added more fuel to critics who say Trump’s embrace of memecoins and crypto projects is less about policy and more about profit.
Featured image from Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, chart from TradingView
