Newsom Rips Trump, Offers A Presidential Preview In California Speech

SACRAMENTO, California — Gavin Newsom on Thursday trumpeted California’s record as a “beacon” for the nation and an alternative to what he cast as the Trump administration’s "carnival of chaos" — previewing themes of his likely presidential campaign.

The Democratic governor used his last State of the State speech to define his tenure, touting California’s economic might and pointing to progress on vexing issues like housing and homelessness, as his eight years in office draw to a close and a White House bid beckons. Throughout, he revisited a familiar theme of condemning President Donald Trump and extolling California as a more compelling model.

“We are a beacon,” Newsom said. “This state is providing a different narrative. An operational model, a policy blueprint for others to follow.”

In previous years Newsom eschewed the traditional setting for the annual address or skipped delivering one entirely. But on Thursday he leaned into the trappings and visual symbolism of his office, speaking to state legislators gathered on the floor of the state Assembly.

Much of Newsom’s tenure has been defined by his opposition to Trump, who is politically toxic for a huge swath of deep-blue California’s electorate. Newsom has spent years contesting Trump’s policies in court and counterbalancing the MAGA agenda with progressive laws on immigration and the environment.

He led a successful gerrymandering campaign last year that he framed as a vital check on Trump’s powers, discarding earlier attempts at conciliation and embracing his role as one of the Democratic Party's most pugnacious anti-Trump brawlers — and urging others to follow.

Newsom excoriated Trump on Thursday, warning “the federal government is unrecognizable” and accusing Trump of governing through fear. He assailed the White House for deploying the National Guard and threatening to slash food assistance, winning a standing ovation as he accused the White House of slow-walking wildfire aid. He boasted about defeating the Trump administration in court.

But Newsom also made an affirmative case for California's leadership — and his own — that could function as a first draft of a presidential stump speech.

That included extolling benchmarks like California’s enormous GDP and its thriving innovation economy, contrasting the state’s mix of economic progress and regulation in fields like artificial intelligence, and touting California’s work to combat climate change as the Trump administration retreats.

He praised California’s progressive tax system that leans heavily on top earners while swiping at red states with high taxes on middle-income earners or low minimum wages. A better-than-expected revenue windfall this year allowed Newsom to propose education programs like fully funded transitional kindergarten.

Newsom also worked to rebut criticisms of California’s shortcomings — like crime, soaring costs, and homelessness — that have long fueled attacks on Newsom and California Democrats from a Trump-led Republican Party and the conservative media.

“Every year, the declinists, the pundits and critics suffering from California Derangement Syndrome look at this state and try to tear down our progress,” Newsom said. “But we know the truth. California’s success is not by chance — it's by design.”

Few issues pose as large of a political liability as a homelessness crisis that sees tens of thousands of people sleep on California’s streets. For the first time in his tenure, Newsom was able to tout a decline in unsheltered homelessness — the kind of concrete progress that had eluded him despite years of effort and billions of dollars.

Similarly, Newsom took aim at California’s prohibitive cost of living by talking up his past work to boost housing production in line with an “Abundance” movement that has captivated many Democrats and previewing his plan to limit gigantic investment firms from buying up housing stock — an idea that has been advanced both by legislative Democrats and, this week, by Trump.

“Affordability — it's not a word we just discovered, and it's certainly not a hoax,” Newsom said in another jab at Trump.