‘The threats of the Trump administration’: Trump’s alleged anti-California intentions are revealed by a Democratic senator
Donald Trump has a long list of enemies. At the top of that list, according to Democratic Senator Alex Padilla, sits California.
When talking about Trump on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan, Padilla said it’s “no secret that he has it in for California.” His evidence? Trump’s first term in office. ” “If the first administration is any indicator,” he said “there’s a lot of reason for concern.
According to ex-Trump aide Mark Harvey, Trump once withhold disaster relief funds from the state during his first term in office simply because it voted blue. This was also during the time that California was being ravaged by deadly wildfires, a fact that Harvey attempted to point out to the president. “We went as far as looking up how many votes he got in those impacted areas … to show him these are people who voted for you,” said Harvey. Trump’s lack of support for California drew ire from Joe Biden, who pointed out “you can’t only help those in need if they voted for you.”
California governor Gavin Newsom said that Trump’s lack of compassion towards the suffering of California residents provided a “glimpse into the future” of a second Trump term.
For Padilla and his state, that future is now. He and his colleagues are bracing in preparation for the “threats of the Trump administration,” one of which is another threat from Trump himself to block wildfire aid. Padilla has promised to protect his constituents against Trump’s anti-blue state policies.
According to Padilla, of the fiercest battles that California intends to fight against Trump will be over his “mass deportation” plan, which Padilla points out will threaten “millions and millions of people” with indiscriminate removal from U.S. soil. Padilla cites that California and the nation at large’s diversity is the thing that has “made our communities thrive and our economy thrive.” When it comes to the economy, migrants make up the backbone of America’s agricultural and construction industries, particularly in states hostile to immigration such as Texas.
California legislators and legal groups have even come up with a term to describe their efforts to resist the incumbent president’s influence: “Trump-proofing”. California has declared itself a “sanctuary state,” and its law enforcement personnel have been instructed not to provide aid to federal police or immigration officers attempting to put Trump’s deportation plan into effect inside state borders. “Let the federal government do the federal government’s job, but have state and local officials do the state and local officials’ job,” said Padilla about the issue. “There doesn’t have to be a conflict unless that’s what Trump wants.”
While Padilla and his colleagues are bracing for the worst, they continue to hope for the best. “There’s also a lot of good that can be finalized” said Padilla about the current state of California’s legislative proceedings, highlighting that work related to safeguarding the climate and providing healthcare support for California residents can still get done will Biden is in office.
California is not the only state that intends to resist Trump. New Mexico governor Lujan Grisham has said that she will refuse to comply with the new administration’s draconian immigration policies, saying that she will take the issue “right to court” if Trump attempts to crack down on migrants in her state. Massachusetts governor Maura Healy has echoed Grisham’s sentiment, as well as Arizona governor Katie Hobbs. With Padilla and Newsom counted among their number, the fight against Trump is far from over.
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