Swalwell embraces role as Trump’s ‘most vocal critic’ as he launches bid to succeed Newsom as governor

As he launches a bid to become the next governor of California, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., has embraced his most recent conflict with the Trump administration, touting himself as the president’s “most vocal critic.”

Throughout his congressional career, highly visible clashes with President Donald Trump have given Swalwell a national profile. He looks poised to continue that streak, repeatedly highlighting his tensions with the president as the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a new investigation against him this month.

“Nancy Pelosi selected me to lead the impeachment of a corrupt president. Californians will never bow the knee,” Swalwell said in a video posted on his website. 

California’s current governor, Gavin Newsom, is term-limited in 2026. 

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The DOJ opened a probe into Swalwell over alleged mortgage fraud and, according to reporting by NBC, may also be under investigation for tax fraud and insurance fraud. Swalwell denies any wrongdoing. 

“The only thing I am surprised about is that it took him this long to come after me,” Swalwell said in a statement following the news of the investigation.

Swalwell first came to Congress in 2013 after serving as a county deputy district attorney in California from 2006 to 2012. He briefly ran for president in 2020 but dropped out just three months after launching his bid. 

In media interviews since the DOJ announced its probe, Swalwell has embraced his role as a target of the administration.

“This is really about Donald Trump going after his political enemies. No one has been a more vocal critic than me. I have one of the only remaining lawsuits against Donald Trump for his role in Jan. 6,” Swalwell said in an interview with MSNBC, referring to pending litigation over whether Trump encouraged protesters to storm the U.S. Capitol building in 2021. 

“I’m not going to change a single thing about what I do to stand up against Donald Trump when he gets in the way of me fighting for Californians,” Swalwell said. “I am not going to shrink one bit because of Donald Trump trying to intimidate me, and it’s not working with the other colleagues he’s gone after.” 

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In a post to X, Swalwell listed himself alongside other Democrats facing similar charges from the DOJ.

“Like James Comey and John Bolton, Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook, Letitia James and the dozens more to come — I refuse to live in fear in what was once the freest country in the world,” Swalwell said.

His opposition to Trump stands out even as his record in the 119th Congress doesn’t jump off the page.

Notably, Swalwell has missed 16% of his votes since the beginning of the year, making him the 10th-most-absent member of the House of Representatives. He rarely breaks with the party, having voted against a majority of Democrats on just eight occasions since the outset of the session. He also hasn’t made much noise in fundraising this year, reporting a respectable yet unexceptional $1.4 million in the first three quarters of 2025. 

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But Swalwell’s yearslong record against Trump stands out.

As referenced in his video, Swalwell was a House impeachment manager against Trump in 2021 and, in addition to his lawsuit, has used his position on the House Oversight Committee to criticize the president’s policies and behavior.

“Next week, when we hear about someone else who is an opponent of Donald Trump being investigated, it will also be nonsense,” Swalwell said in an interview with CNN. “Of course, I am one of the most vocal critics against Donald Trump. I have the only lawsuit that survived him becoming president — me and the other Jan. 6 officers.” 

The investigation into Swalwell is in its early stages. The DOJ has not announced if or when it would pursue a grand jury trial. Swalwell’s office did not respond to a request for comment.