California Governor Newsom Leads Charge of ‘Resistance’ to Trump Presidency

It’s been less than two days since former President Donald Trump won enough electoral votes to win the presidencyand the leadership of the California Democratic Party is already mobilizing for a second round of resistance to the conservative administration led by Trump.

But this time, the Golden State’s top officials are bracing for potentially larger clashes, especially as Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate and makes incursions to secure the House.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday called a special session of the state Legislature to prepare for the new administration, and state Attorney General Rob Bonta held a news conference Thursday morning to lay out the state’s legal strategy.

“You can rest assured that as California’s attorney general, if Trump attacks your rights, I will be there. If Trump comes for your freedoms, I will be there. If Trump puts your safety and your well-being at risk, I will be there.” there,” Bonta said. “The California Department of Justice has done this before, and we will do it again.”

Bonta and Newsom say they have been preparing for the Trump administration for months, and the governor pointed to several policies they are particularly concerned about possible threats, including possible moves to further restrict reproductive and abortion rights, roll back state environmental policies, end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, and the possibility that the administration will withhold funds to respond to natural disasters.

The deep blue state emerged as a leader of the Democratic opposition during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2020, filing more than 120 lawsuits against the administration, passing statewide measures condemning its policies and becoming the political face of the “resistance” movement. With this rapid mobilization of the state’s top leadership, California is preparing to take up the mantle again.

Trump’s leading opponent, Rep. Adam Schiff, known for presiding over the former president’s first impeachment trial, is on track for an even bigger national platform after easily winning the race for the U.S. Senate. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also won her re-election to Congress this week, giving California representatives the opportunity to challenge Trump legislatively.

Other Democratic state leaders in New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington are also taking the offensive approach to news of Trump’s victory, preparing to defend state policies that could be criticized by the Republican president-elect.

“We know what he can do. We know what his plans are. The positive thing is that we know,” Bonta said Thursday in San Francisco. “We know to take Trump at his word when he says he will roll back environmental protections, persecute our immigrants and LGBTQ+ communities, attack our civil rights and limit access to basic reproductive services, which means we won’t confused.” January will come.”

special legislative session It is expected to begin in Sacramento on Dec. 2 and will focus on how California can strengthen legal resources to protect civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate change and immigrant families, according to the governor’s office. In particular, legislators are expected to discuss the provision of additional funding The California Department of Justice and other agencies to challenge and prepare for the legal consequences of the new Trump administration.

While Newsom’s initial statement on Wednesday about the election results struck a muted tone, suggesting he would be “committed to working with the new President,” he obliquely hinted at possible fights ahead, saying California intends to “stand with states across our country to defend our Constitution and uphold the rule of law.”

Democratic legislative leaders, including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate pro tempore Mike McGuire, have expressed strong support for the governor’s special session, while early responses from members of the state’s Republican minority criticized the move.

“This is immature and divisive,” state Sen. Brian Dahl, R-Redding, said in a post Thursday morning. “Our nation needs cooperation and unity, not headline-grabbing politicians.”

California is a predominantly blue state, with registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans by nearly two to one and a legislature with supermajorities in both chambers. First results Associated Press As of Wednesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris holds a strong lead statewide, as many expected, with 57.3% of the vote to Trump’s 40.1%, with just over half of all votes counted.

Katherine Palmer is USA TODAY’s elections researcher. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on X. @KathrynPlmr.