California Gov. Gavin Newsom used his State of the State address Tuesday to blast President Donald Trump administration for a “relentless, unhinged California obsession” while also touting the state’s achievements on its 175th anniversary of statehood.
The Democratic governor opted to send the letter to the state Legislature instead of delivering it publicly. Newsom, who’s seen as a potential presidential contender for 2028, also released a shortened version of the annual report on his social media channels. The letter criticized the president and his policies for bringing chaos and disruption to California, without mentioning Trump by name.
“We are now nine months into a battle to protect the values we hold most dear and to preserve the economic and social foundation we built for California,” Newsom wrote. “We are facing a federal administration built on incompetence and malicious ignorance, one that seeks the death of independent thinking.”
Newsom hasn’t done a formal address in a few years, a departure from decades of tradition.
The state has been a battleground for the Trump administration after its hardline immigration strategy spurred protests, and the deployment of the National Guard and the Marines. The federal government has also cut funding to the state’s long-delayed high-speed rail project, rolled back the state’s first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars and sued the state over its law that allows transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams.
California responded by suing the administration 41 times. Lawmakers earlier this year authorized giving $50 million to California’s Department of Justice and other legal groups to help protect the state’s progressive policies. California is also fighting back against Trump’s move to suspend funding to University of California, Los Angeles, over allegations of civil rights violations related to antisemitism and affirmative action, Newsom said.
“It would be a mistake to think California is cowering in the face of this onslaught,” Newsom said.
The letter also outlines what Newsom described as California’s achievements — highlighting the state’s resiliency and quick recovery effort to the devasting wildfires in Los Angeles earlier this year as well as other advancements in tech, green energy and education in an economy that exceeds $4.1 trillion. He also highlighted the state’s volunteer force of tens of thousands of young people and a tax credit program to bring back Hollywood productions.
State Republicans said Newsom is prioritizing building his national profile instead of working on issues in California. James Gallagher, the Republican leader of the state Assembly, pointed to the state’s ongoing budget deficits, homelessness crisis and sky-high costs of living in a social media post responding to Newsom’s letter.
Gallagher also criticized Newsom’s push for a new U.S. House congressional map to help Democrats win more seats and potentially gain control of the House ahead of the 2026 midterms. California’s move was to counter a similar effort led by GOP lawmakers at Trump’s urging in Texas.
“Stop refusing to show up and actually do the work of being a governor,” he said in the video.