Trump Rehashes 'Newscum' Nickname as California Governor Vows to 'Trump-Proof' the State

California Governor Gavin Newsom is set to become one of the most visible faces to oppose the policies of the upcoming Donald Trump administration. In fact, the Democrat already announced a special session of the state legislature to "Trump-proof" California, a plan that would imply taking immediate legislative action to counter the Republican's expected attacks on abortion, electric vehicles, immigration and federal disaster aid.

The governor also made the rounds this weekend when he shared a two-minute video in which he said that, even though he "reveres the country" and wants the nation to succeed, he will stay vigilant to what he considers an attack on "American values and freedoms."

Newsom also used the video to predict that Trump's second term may be more strategically aggressive than his first, following the conservative blueprint of Project 2025, a set of policy plans penned by several members of his former administration that he dismissed during the campaign over its extreme views on some issues.

"Donald Trump has a playbook. They wrote it out for us. 922 pages. With 270 specific points he has publicly supported."

Trump lashed back at the Governor on social media, accusing Newsom of harming California's interests and employing his characteristic derogatory nickname for the governor: "Newscum":

"Governor Gavin Newscum is trying to KILL our Nation's beautiful California. He is using the term 'Trump-Proof' as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to 'Make California Great Again"

Newsom has scheduled meetings in Washington with California's congressional delegation and Biden administration officials this week, as The LA Times reports. Among the top priorities is securing EPA waivers for California's clean-air regulations, which include restrictions on gas-powered lawn equipment and measures to transition diesel engines to zero-emission standards by 2058.

During Trump's first term, California led the Democratic resistance filing more than 120 lawsuits against the administration, particularly targeting policies that conflicted with California's environmental and immigration standards, as ABC 10 reports.

California is hardly alone in announcing preemptive moves to defend citizens from potential Trump Policies. As Politico reports, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James have pledged to beef up coordination between their offices to "protect New Yorkers' fundamental freedoms from any potential threats." And state leaders in Illinois and Massachusetts have pledged to take action to protect undocumented immigrants, access to abortion and the rights of LGBTQ+ people.