California Gov. Gavin Newsom paid a visit to Trump-supporting Fresno County in the state’s Central Valley on Nov. 21 to tell a gathering that his office is preparing to work with the president-elect’s incoming administration while also making plans to defend any threatened policies or programs.
“It’s not a theoretical exercise. We know what happened the last time Donald Trump was president,” Newsom said during a press conference announcing a statewide collaborative economic plan. “He vandalized our progress; he vandalized our programs.”
He called a legislative special session—which convenes Dec. 2—for “litigation preparation” and to “safeguard” the state’s values.
“He did certain things that were unwound at the agency level that attacked this state, and so, we are preparing for that,” Newsom said. “That is the whole point of the special session. We’re not going to be caught flat-footed, and we want to be prepared as early as Jan. 20.”
Regarding the 122 lawsuits the state filed against the first Trump administration, the governor said the legal action was spurred by what he suggested was federal overreach.
“We reacted to the assault. It wasn’t a proactive litigation strategy, it was a reactive strategy,” Newsom said. “I hope there’s not one lawsuit with the Trump administration. As I said, open hand, not a closed fist.”
He said collaboration is possible, noting that during the pandemic, he believes no Democratic governor worked more closely with the former president.
“At the same time ... he tried to vandalize most of the progress of the last half-century—while we were—while we were getting along,” Newsom said. ““Regardless, if we had a big hug at Mar-a-Lago or not, we need to prepare for that reality,”
The governor said he has “the receipts” from the first administration and is now preparing for similar confrontations in the coming years.
“We know exactly what he intends to do,” Newsom said. “He’s been very honest about that, and there’s nothing to suggest these last two weeks that he’s not even more hell-bent on doing it.”
The governor said that with Trump in charge he’s “very concerned” about legal immigration slowing down and the economic disruption that could cause.
“We’re putting our head down, not focusing on Trump, focusing on you, focusing on communities like this,” Newsom said. “At the same time, we want to protect our state and protect our values. Billions and billions of dollars of your money, in the Central Valley, at stake if we roll over and play naive and nice.”
He thanked local leaders—many of whom are or were registered Republicans in recent elections—for not playing “jurisdictional” or “partisan games” and suggested the state thrives when all parties work together.
The governor said his compassion extends to those of all political persuasions.
“I care about people. I don’t care who you voted for,” Newsom said. “I care about Trump supporters. I care about [Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.] supporters. I care about Tucker Carlson supporters. I care about Charlie Kirk supporters. I care about Ben Shapiro supporters. I care about all people.”
Acknowledging the political winds in Fresno County—where a majority voted for Trump—he said he wants to protect all Californians and cares about “being honest” and “level-setting with them.”
“There may be a lot more Trump supporters here, but that doesn’t matter,” Newsom said. “I’m going to still have their backs because they need us to have their backs and not turn [our] backs on them.”
He was in the county to announce the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint, a plan created by the state’s 13 economic regions that will ultimately include hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for apprenticeship and career training programs.
