The juggernaut that is Trump 2.0 continues, and leftists, wokeists, and globalists are desperately seeing end-runs around the new presidential vision of America First.
One of the most desperate players is California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is attempting to rebrand himself as a centrist as he tries his hand at podcasting.
He recently took a break from attempting to become the left’s Joe Rogan and announced efforts to shield the state from the economic fallout of President Donald Trump’s newly imposed tariffs, which have triggered retaliatory measures from several countries.
Newsom is behaving as if California is its own country and is pursuing agreements with foreign nations to exempt California-made products from these retaliatory tariffs, arguing that the state’s economy should not suffer due to federal trade policies that do not reflect the interests of all Americans.
“Donald Trump’s tariffs do not represent all Americans, particularly those I represent here in the fifth largest economy in the world, the state of California,” Mr. Newsom said in a video announcement. “California is a stable trading partner and we hope you remember that as you consider California-made products.”California is the nation’s largest agricultural producer and home to the most Fortune 500 companies in the country. It exported $23.6 billion in agricultural products in 2022, with almonds, dairy products, pistachios, wine and walnuts making up the top exports.The Newsom administration also fears that retaliatory tariffs from countries that provide construction supplies, including timber, steel and aluminum, could hamper rebuilding in Los Angeles after January’s devastating wildfires.
I have questions, as do many others versed in US constitutional law.
As a reminder, Newsom struck clean car deals with major auto manufacturers after the Trump 1.0 White House revoked California’s authority to set more stringent emissions rules. He means to continue with the eye-poking and flame-throwing.
Newsom said Friday that California has more to lose because it leads the nation in so many areas, including venture capital and new business starts. It boasts more Fortune 500 companies than any other state, including Republican havens Texas and Florida. And its manufacturers have built everything from aircraft to electronics to electric vehicles — while its farms feed the world with crops like almonds.“We’re not scared to use our market power to fight back against the largest tax hike of our lifetime,” he said in a post on X on Friday.Newsom also cited how California is home to 32 of the world’s top 50 AI companies, powerhouse research institutions, and a quarter of global AI patents and papers. Cementing U.S. leadership in AI has been a stated priority of the Trump administration.
However, this is Trump 2.0, and this administration is responding robustly to remind Newsom of where his priorities actually lie.
Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, responded by saying, “Gavin Newsom should focus on out-of-control homelessness, crime, regulations, and unaffordability in California, instead of trying his hand at international dealmaking.”Newsom has no ability to dissuade Trump from his tariffs, which would likely mean fewer imports and higher prices for California, said Jonathan D. Aronson, a professor at USC Annenberg who specializes in international trade and communications. But he might be able to persuade some nations not to retaliate against the state’s industries.“California exports a lot of almonds and avocados, a lot of tech and electronics,” Aronson said. “It might well be something that says, ’Hey, can you not target almonds? Can you not target big tech? Can you not target these things that we specialize in?’”
Finally, as Hot Air’s Beege Welborne notes, it’s not as if Trump neglected to mention his tariff platform during the campaign.
Now, I’m no stock market or financial genius – I don’t even play one here at HotAir – so ever since Trump began implementing his tariff campaign of terror, I have just sort of settled back in to watch what happens as it all shakes out.The one thing I do keep in mind is that this tariff tussle is something the man campaigned on.
Elections have consequences, and Newsom shouldn’t be making his own international deals that undermine the potential success of America’s economic reform.
Let the dice fly high. I am sick of supporting everyone else’s socialist utopia… especially California’s.
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