President Donald Trump and the state of California engaged in low-grade conflict almost continually during his first term in the White House, and hostilities flashed into the headlines again this week as horrifying wildfires brought death and destruction to Los Angeles. Rather than offer words of consolation and support, Trump attacked Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom — and blamed him for the fires.
In a social media post, Trump made no mention of intense Santa Ana winds or how climate change might have contributed to the fire. Instead, he claimed that water and environmental policies set by “Gavin Newscum” had precipitated the disaster.
The signals have been worrisome for months, Berkeley scholars say. During last year’s presidential campaign, candidate Trump charged that Democrats had “destroyed” California and rendered San Francisco “not livable.” Inflation, taxes, gas prices, undocumented residents, the cost of utilities — on these measures and others, Trump claimed, California’s policies are “insane.”
While that may reflect the bombast of a political contest, the Berkeley scholars warned in recent interviews that Trump and others in his MAGA movement may be willing to take a more extreme approach in his second term. They could press for policy changes that would threaten Californians of every political persuasion — sometimes putting health and economic security at risk.
He could withhold emergency aid in the event of wildfires, earthquakes or floods. He could slash higher education funding for the state, or aggressively challenge the state’s influential climate and environmental standards. He could attempt to override the state’s protections for reproductive health care and undermine public health policies.
“The data show that this was a change election — there’s no question about that,” said Berkeley political scientist Henry Brady. “People want change, and Trump is going to try to make change. So why pick fights with California? Well, watch Fox News. California is the boogeyman. California has cities out of control. California is doing all these crazy things with climate change. We are the people who have sanctuary cities and the place where people are woke beyond belief.
“Punishing California is something that is, from their perspective, a positive good.”