In his early-morning Nov. 6 victory speech after being re-elected president, Donald Trump promised, “It’s time to unite.” A few hours later, in her gracious concession speech, Vice President Kamala Harris said she had told Trump, “We will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.” On Nov. 7, President Joe Biden promised the same cooperation in a speech from the White House.
No doubt the bickering and jockeying for power will resume quickly. But at least Americans got a little respite from the partisan rancor. Remarkably, instantly gone were the prior hysterical warnings about the supposed “threat to democracy.”
Spoiling the civility was a stunt by Gov. Gavin Newsom effectively launching his 2028 presidential bid. After Biden’s speech, Newsom issued a Proclamation calling for convening a special session of the California Legislature on Dec. 2 to fight Trump’s policies. Yet Trump won’t even be inaugurated until Jan. 20.
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Newsom’s Proclamation claimed Trump threatened the state’s “clean vehicle policies.” That apparently means the state’s mandate for 100% electric vehicle sales by 2035, which Trump has pledged to cancel. Ironically, more EV sales benefit Trump ally Elon Musk’s Tesla. And the Proclamation also said it would battle Trump immigration deportation policies.
Oddly, the Proclamation said it would fight Trump attempts to impose “a national abortion ban,” even though Trump many times said he was opposed to that. And it attacked Trump for “expanding conscience objections for employers and providers.” That means Newsom wants to force abortion policies on religious people who object to them, a clear violation of the First Amendment freedom of religion. The issue currently is before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Diocese of Albany v. [Adrienne] Harris, in which the state of New York is trying to force Catholic and Anglican nuns to include abortion coverage in health insurance.
Newsom has two years left in office to fix California’s problems, from homelessness to giant budget deficits and low-performing schools, which only got worse on his watch. Stunts only detract from the real work to be done, and on which he ultimately will be judged by national voters.