The governor said he hopes for no lawsuits with the incoming administration but is ready for anything, as ‘billions of dollars are at stake.’
California Gov. Gavin Newsom paid a visit to Fresno County, which supported President-elect Donald Trump, 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, referring to Trump. “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 actions were 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.
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