California Governor Gavin Newsom has called a special session of state lawmakers to protect liberal policies from Donald Trump.
The Democrat hopes to shore up legal funding to defend climate change, access to abortion, and the rollout of electric vehicles.
It is the first move from Newsom to prepare for a second Trump administration just 36 hours after the election was decided.
Trump’s return to the White House will likely resurrect the hostile relationship between the pair.
The president-elect has repeatedly called the Democrat ‘Newscum’, railed against crime in California, and ridiculed his electric car mandate.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has called a special session of state lawmakers to protect liberal policies from Donald Trump
Gavin Newsom, Democratic candidate for governor of California, center, smiles next to his wife Jennifer Newsom, left, and Senator Kamala Harris, a Democrat from California, right, during a rally in Burbank, California, U.S., on Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Newsom responded to Trump’s rout on Wednesday by saying: ‘The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack – and we won’t sit idle.
‘Kamala Harris set out to fight to defend our fundamental freedoms and build a country that works for everyone.
‘She stood up for working families, decency, and opportunity. Though this is not the outcome we wanted, our fight for freedom and opportunity endures.’
Newsom maintained that California will seek to work with the incoming president.’
But he added in a statement: ‘Let there be no mistake, we intend to stand with states across our nation to defend our Constitution and uphold the rule of law.
‘Federalism is the cornerstone of our democracy. It’s the United STATES of America.’
Vice President Kamala Harris (R) waves alongside California Governor Gavin Newsom during a campaign event against his recall election at the IBEW-NECA Joint Apprenticeship Training Center in San Leandro, California, September 8, 2021
S House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (C), US Senator Laphonza Butler (L) and California Governor Gavin Newsom (2R) applaud as US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks on the fourth and last day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 22, 2024
Newsom has long been a friend of Harris as they rose through government positions in California.
There had been speculation earlier this year that Newsom would seek to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee if the president decided not to run for re-election.
However, Newsom repeatedly publicly backed Biden.
Then, when Biden did drop out and endorse Harris, Newsom supported his fellow Californian.
Newsom’s office said the governor wants to ‘Trump-proof’ California’s state laws.
His announcement on Thursday called on the state legislature to give the attorney general’s office more funding to fight federal challenges.
U.S. President Joe Biden is greeted by California Governor Gavin Newsom as he arrives to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in San Francisco, California, U.S., November 14, 2023
Gavin Newsom wants to ‘Trump-proof’ California policies
California’s move is part of a growing discussion among Democratic state officials across the country seeking to protect policies that face threats under Trump’s leadership.
Other blue states are also moving quickly to prepare game plans and expect a fiercer battle this time around with a Republican-dominated Senate and possibly House in Washington D.C.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James, both Democrats, said senior staffers plan to meet regularly to coordinate legal strategies.
‘Our team will do whatever we have to do to identify any possible threats to these rights that we hold dear in the state of New York and protect New Yorkers,” Hochul said at a news conference on Wednesday.