Gavin Newsom: Trump is threat to CA's 'economic, social foundation'

Lia Russell, The Sacramento Bee on Sep 9, 2025

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In a State of the State address to the Legislature, Gov. Gavin Newsom characterized California as the bulwark against a White House that has consolidated executive power, strong-armed the press and universities, and won a court victory this week allowing immigration officials to profile people based on their perceived ethnicity.

“As I write to you, California is menaced by a federal administration that dismantles public services, punishes allies across the globe, and sweeps the rule of law into the gutter,” the governor wrote in a missive to lawmakers. “They have thrown away decades of progress on clean air and water, sent the U.S. military into the streets of our cities, and used extortion in an attempt to bully our businesses and world-class public institutions.”

“But California, this uniquely blessed state, is standing up.”

After initially trying to take a friendly approach to President Donald Trump, Newsom has burnished his image in recent months as a resistance leader. He has tried to broker trade relationships with allies abroad to circumvent Trump’s tariffs and compared the president’s various “deals” to stake claims in businesses to bribery.

Newsom’s address came on the 175th anniversary of California’s entry into the union. Newsom emphasized the Golden State’s stance as a global economic superpower, citing its concentration of AI businesses and investment in electrical vehicles and clean energy infrastructure.

In past years, Newsom has usually delivered his state addresses in the spring or early summer. Last year, he delivered a delayed prerecorded message in June that assailed “California bashers” and shored up his national image as he defended Joe Biden amid criticism about the former president’s faltering cognitive state.

Suspicions about Newsom’s ambitions, as he terms out of the governor’s mansion next year, have not abated. In recent months, he has taken to mocking the president as the White House has sent immigration officials to Los Angeles and seized control of the National Guard.

“Even as fires still burned, the newly elected President began targeting our state — testing our resolve with his relentless, unhinged California obsession,” Newsom wrote, referencing January’s wildfires and Trump’s false claims about their origin.

“Through the courts — and the raised voices of everyday people — California has resisted this dangerous and un-American assault on our values. We are committed to protecting the men and women who make this state stronger through their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit.”

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