Newsom contrasts California ‘blueprint’ with Trump’s ‘carnival of chaos’ in final state of state address

By Arit John, CNN

(CNN) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom used his final State of the State address Thursday to frame his state as a “beacon” of democracy and innovation, seeking to draw a sharp contrast with what he called the “carnival of chaos” in Washington under President Donald Trump.

“In California, we’re not silent. You’re not silent, you’re not hunkering down,” Newsom said, speaking to a joint session of the state legislature. “This state is providing a different narrative, an operational model, a policy blueprint for others to follow.”

The speech comes as Newsom prepares to close out his second term and define his record in office ahead of a possible presidential run. The governor, who has acknowledged he’s “thought about” seeking the Democratic nomination, is term-limited and will leave office in January 2027.

Newsom boosted his national profile last year, when he led California in a successful effort to redraw the state’s congressional map in response to Republican-led mid-decade redistricting in Texas. The governor pushed back on critics who said Democrats shouldn’t follow in Republicans’ footsteps, arguing that his party must “fight fire with fire” to prevent the GOP from tipping the scales ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. California voters overwhelmingly backed Proposition 50, which could net Democrats five additional House seats this November.

Thursday marked Newsom’s first State of the State before the legislature since 2020, a gap he attributed to his struggles with dyslexia.

“I have no problem speaking, and perhaps sometimes a little more longwindedly than people like, but when it comes to the written text, that has never served me well,” he said.

Still, Newsom spoke for more than an hour, laying out his budget priorities, criticizing the Trump administration and defending California’s economic and cultural successes against its critics.

Newsom railed against the president and what he described as Trump’s eroding of democratic norms. Before Newsom began his speech, state Rep. Robert Rivas, the speaker of the state Assembly, led a moment of silence in honor of Renee Good, a woman who was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis Wednesday after the administration increased immigration enforcement in the city.

Newsom said the federal government has become “unrecognizable, protecting the powerful at the expense of the vulnerable.” He blasted last year’s broad domestic policy and tax bill, which cuts Medicaid and other programs.

The governor also highlighted the state’s efforts to fight back against the Trump administration, particularly in the courts, where California has fought for the release of funds withheld by the federal government.

“Mr. President: You can’t cut off critical food assistance for millions of people. You can’t send the military into American cities without justification,” Newsom said. “You cannot cruelly and illegally cut off funding for medical research, homeland security, or disaster response. That is wrong.”

While Newsom has bolstered his image as a fighter among the party’s base, a presidential run would also require him to tackle the perception by some Americans that he’s a San Francisco liberal, a label that also bogged down Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 campaign. He’ll also need to defend his record governing California, which has the highest unemployment rate of any US state.

California Republicans were quick to push back on the positive image of the state Newsom portrayed Thursday.

“Governor Newsom painted a picture of a California that exists in his imagination,” California Republican Party chairwoman Corrin Rankin said in a statement. “Californians do not live in Gavin Newsom’s alternate reality, they live in the real California, which looks very different than his fantasy Marin bubble.”

Newsom defends his policies in California

Newsom has said he plans to challenge some preconceived notions about him in his upcoming autobiography. The governor used the address Thursday to push back on critics of the state, who he said suffered from “California Derangement Syndrome” and ignore the state’s progress.

Newsom said that unsheltered homelessness in the state dropped 9% between 2024 and 2025, according to the state’s early data.

In response to criticisms that California’s taxes are too high, the governor argued the state’s tax system, with higher taxes for high-income earners, is fairer than systems in states such as Texas and Florida, which he said burden low-income earners more.

“So, the question to all of you: Who are the high tax states?” he said.

Newsom also argued his administration has made strides in making California more affordable. He pointed to minimum wage increases for fast food and health care workers, and the launch of the state’s generic drug label, which recently began offering insulin.

To tackle housing costs, Newsom said he plans to call on the state to go after big investors who buy single family homes. The announcement echoes the president, who said this week he wants to ban large institutional investors from purchasing more single-family homes.

“I think it’s shameful that we allow private-equity firms in Manhattan to become some of the biggest landlords here in our cities in California,” he said.

The governor made a dig at the president, who has said that Democrats manufactured affordability and cost-of-living concerns.

“Affordability, it’s not a word we just discovered, certainly not a hoax,” he said.

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