Gavin Newsom Wants to Fix Global Trade… While California Collapses Under Its Own Weight

So Gavin Newsom just hit pause on his new podcast (you know, the one about “having honest conversations”) to focus on governing California file a federal lawsuit against Trump’s tariffs.

Yes. While California burns (sometimes literally), bleeds population, and hands out free tents to crack addicts to setup near multimillion dollar houses, the governor of the world’s fifth-largest economy decided this was the moment to show off his international trade law degree from the School of Passive-Aggressive Press Conferences.

So as hilarious as it sounds, here are the details… Newsom, alongside California Attorney General Rob Bonta, is suing to block Trump’s new tariffs… which were implemented on imports from China, Mexico, Canada, and basically anywhere you might find a decent bottle of wine or affordable electronics. 

Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (a Cold War-era law meant to target rogue nations and actual emergencies) by declaring fentanyl and undocumented immigration a “national threat.” So in Trump logic, Chinese-made washing machines now pose the same level of danger as Al-Qaeda.

According to Newsom, these tariffs are “wreaking chaos” on California families, raising prices, killing jobs, and sending farmers into panic mode (ironic right?). And look… the man with nice hair isn’t entirely wrong. In 2024, California exported more than $26.5 billion in agricultural goods… up from $24 billion just two years earlier. A haul that included nearly $5.1 billion in almonds.

China, Canada, and the EU are some of California’s biggest trade partners. And tariffs on everything from pistachios to semiconductors are putting a giant hole in the state’s yoga-pant-fueled export economy.

But let’s not forget this is the same Gavin Newsom who just wrapped a trip to China to personally discuss climate change (as if Xi Jinping actually cares). The same guy who, in the middle of a housing crisis, launched a state-sponsored podcast (to have “honest conversations”). The same governor who said he’d personally try to cut trade deals with global partners to “insulate California” from the tariffs… which is adorable, because that’s kind of the federal government’s job.

Oh, and don’t forget… this is the same California with 40 million residents, 60,000 small business exporters, and a budget big enough to buy Denmark. But hey, let’s focus on geopolitical lawsuits and podcast mic checks instead of, you know… the fentanyl-riddled tent cities.

Trump, for his part, says the tariffs are about “fair trade” and “bringing back jobs.” And while economists are split (they’re actually confused), the markets are nervous. A 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports is still live. The 10% blanket tariff on nearly everything else has been “temporarily paused” (Trump’s version of ghosting). And at the same time, China’s now getting hit with a 145% tariff.

Look, maybe Gavin has a point. Maybe Trump’s tariffs are overreaching. Maybe the IEEPA wasn’t supposed to be used like this. Maybe California is getting the short end of the stick. But when your state is known more for carjackings and collapsing insurance markets than trade negotiations, maybe (just maybe) focus on managing California… before trying to manage global trade.

Otherwise, it feels a bit like lecturing your friend on investing when you just blew half of your account on Tesla ODTE call options (that you just knew were going up 1,000%).

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Stock.News has positions in Tesla.