Follow California's Example; Protect Our State From a Hostile President

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta are suing President Donald Trump over his tariff policies, arguing that they have caused “immediate and irreparable harm” to the Golden State’s economy by driving up prices and harming businesses. Trump enacted a minimum 10% tariff on most countries earlier this month, though he ratcheted it up to 145% on Chinese exports after igniting a trade war with President Xi Jinping. He also instituted a 25% tax on most Canadian goods. After criticism from members of his own party, Trump said last week he would suspend the tariffs for 90 days and lower most countries’ rates to a standard 10% rate, except for China. Economists have predicted that the tariffs will increase prices on everything from cars to lumber. Bonta and Newsom are challenging Trump’s ability to set tariffs under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, a 1977 law that allows presidents to regulate some transactions during a national security emergency. The two California leaders argue that Trump is abusing this power by imposing tariffs in the absence of a national emergency. The suit is set to be filed Wednesday morning in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, according to Newsom’s office. “President Trump’s unlawful tariffs are wreaking chaos on California families, businesses, and our economy — driving up prices and threatening jobs,” the governor said in a statement. Newsom, who initially took a circumspect approach to Trump’s second term, invoked the Golden State’s status as the world’s fifth-largest economy by pleading with world leaders earlier this month to spare California from retaliatory tariffs. On Monday, Newsom met with British Columbia Premier David Eby and launched a $5.2 million campaign to entice Canadians to continue traveling to the state. Some Democrats, after flailing about for a cohesive counter message, have seized upon the tariffs as an example of Trump turning his back on voters who elected him after he promised to reduce prices on the campaign trail. Bonta, who has become the face of California’s resistance to Trump’s second administration, claimed the tariffs were not only “deeply troubling” but also illegal. “Californians are bracing for fallout from the impact of the President’s choices — from farmers in the Central Valley, to small businesses in Sacramento, and worried families at the kitchen table — this game the President is playing has very real consequences for Californians across our state,” he said in a statement.