Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) held a press availability after California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, a redistricting proposal. Newsom condemned what he called President Donald Trump’s “vandalism to the republic,” and urged Democratic-led states to follow his example.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM: Well, good evening, everybody. And let me underscore, it’s been a good evening for everybody, not just the Democratic Party. But what a night for the Democratic Party, a party that is in its ascendancy, a party that’s on its toes, no longer on its heels from coast to coast, sea to shining sea. But it was not just a victory tonight for the Democratic Party, it was a victory for the United States of America, for the people of this country and the principles that our founding fathers lived and died for. And so we’re proud. We’re proud here in California to be part of this narrative this evening. We’re proud of the work that the people of the state of California did tonight to send a powerful message to an historic president. Donald Trump is an historic president. He is the most historically unpopular president in modern history. In every critical category, Donald Trump is underwater. He promised to make us healthier. He promised to make us wealthier. We’re sicker and poorer. And he fundamentally understands that. Why else? Why else would he call Greg Abbott saying he’s entitled to five seats? Why else is he trying to rig the midterm elections before one single vote is even cast? He understands his position at this moment in the United States of America. One thing he never counted on, though, was the state of California. Instead of agonizing over the state of our nation, we organized in an unprecedented way, in a 90-day sprint, people from all over the United States of America contributed their voices and their support for this initiative. We stood tall and we stood firm in response to Donald Trump’s recklessness. And tonight, after poking the bear, this bear roared with an unprecedented turnout in a special election with an extraordinary result. None of us, however, are naive. This is a pattern. This is a practice. Donald Trump’s efforts to rig the midterm election continue to this day. And I’ll reinforce that in just a moment. You’re seeing him take action all across this country, not just in Texas. You saw what they were successfully able to do in Missouri, what they did in North Carolina, what they’re trying to do in Indiana, and inevitably in Florida. They are not screwing around. In June of this year, we saw 4,000 National Guard federalized in the state of California. We saw 700 active-duty Marines not sent overseas, but sent to the second largest city in the United States of America to militarize our streets. We said in June this was a preview of things to come. What more evidence do you need than what happened in Washington, D.C., what’s happening up in Portland, cities like Chicago? When we kicked off this campaign just 90 or so days ago in Little Tokyo in Southern California and L.A. at the Democracy Center, Donald Trump sent Greg Bovino. He sent his private police force that increasingly appears to have taken an oath of office to Donald Trump, not to the Constitution of the United States. He sent them to our kickoff rally to chill free expression, to chill free speech, to intimidate people from participating. Just today in Los Angeles, Donald Trump called up the Border Patrol, sent them to Dodger Stadium and threw a fastball at free speech, right at their head, free expression, to suppress the vote in America’s second largest city. Just did that today. People in tactical gears sent out to intimidate a community that is already on edge. But you see, as we speak, people are still in line, people waiting up three hours to cast their vote, to send a message to Donald Trump. No crowns, no thrones, no kings. That’s what this victory represents. It’s a victory for the people of the state of California and the United States of America. And this is a victory that’s punctuated with a sober reminder that it’s not just the actions that Donald Trump has taken to federalize our guard, to begin the process of militarizing American cities, to intimidate free expression and speech by utilizing ICE and Border Patrol in America’s cities. But he also announced today, right when polls were opening, that this election was rigged. That this election was rigged. Of course, those are familiar words. It’s exactly what Donald Trump said after January 6th, that day of love, where he tried to light democracy on fire. He tried to wreck this country. And he called into the Secretary of State in Georgia, calling up for 11, 12,000 votes, just like he called Greg Abbott, saying he’s entitled to those five seats. He said this election was rigged and he’s moving to look for criminal prosecution and investigations at the Department of Justice. He is not screwing around. So tonight, I’m proud, but I’m very mindful and sober of the moment we are living in. Donald Trump does not believe in fair and free elections, period and full stop. This is not complicated. And it’s self-evident to anyone paying attention. You start to stack up all of these actions that continue to this moment and will continue in moments to come. If you think I’m exaggerating, consider his announcement just a few weeks ago to send rapid response teams all across the United States and all 50 states, tens of thousands of members of the military prepared for urban deployment, a preview of things to come. But back to this state, our state of mind was resolute. Our state of mind was resolved to stand firm and to stand tall, to not be intimidated, to not be humiliated, to not fall prey to cynicism, to not fall prey to fear and the anxiety of someone that believes in only one thing, shock and awe, to intimidate and exhaust us. But we’re seeing all across this country 7 million people strong, standing up, not just for themselves, but for each other and for these enduring and historic principles of our founding fathers. And I’ll end on that. Next year is the 250th anniversary of the best of Roman Republic, the best of Greek democracy. This fundamental notion of a system of checks and balances, of popular sovereignty, the rule of law, Mr. President, the rule of law, not the rule of Don. And I hope it’s dawning on people the sobriety of this moment. What’s at stake? Tonight, as I said, is an extraordinary moment for our party. But again, it’s an extraordinary moment affirming those principles. Our founding fathers did not live and die to see the kind of vandalism to this republic in our democracy that Donald Trump is trying to perpetuate. And so my call tonight, in the spirit of Whitman, who talked about the powerful play, goes on. We all must contribute a verse. And so we need, we need the state of Virginia. We need the state of Maryland. We need our friends in New York, in Illinois, in Colorado. We need to see other states with their remarkable leaders that have been doing remarkable things meet this moment head on as well to recognize what we’re up against in 2026. And let me make this crystal clear. We can de facto end Donald Trump’s presidency as we know it. The minute Speaker Jeffries gets sworn in as Speaker of the House of Representatives, it is all on the line, a bright line in 2026. And so I want to thank everybody that stood up, not just for our democracy, but stood up for those that feel bullied and intimidated, stood up for this notion of co-equal branches of government and a system of checks and balances. And I want to thank my wife, who reminds me every single day that this is about those that feel alone, those that feel isolated, those that feel an anxiety and a stress that they never could have imagined in their lives. This was about saying to them, we have your back, we see you, you matter, we care. And I’ll just say this, I’m confident as we move forward into 2026 in this country, the best is yet to come. Thank you very much.

RealClearPolitics Videos