In a post on X, Newsom addressed the U.S.'s global trading partners, writing “California is here and ready to talk.”
It comes after a Fox News report revealed that Newsom is directing his state to pursue “strategic” relationships with countries announcing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S., urging them to exclude California-made products from those taxes.
A chilling look into what could be the first real steps towards the Balkanization of the United States. It’s sad that it’s gotten to this point, but realistically I don’t see another path forward. It may be unconstitutional, but unfortunatly that founding document has lost its legitimately as the current administration wipes it’s ass with it on a daily basis.
I think the fact that you have such a polarized society where states are “red” or “blue” and have such different policies and views on things make it difficult to function as 1 country. Of course this has always been the case to a certain extent but nowadays it feels a lot more rabid then before. Knowing how much democrats like being pushovers nothing will probably happen (for the good of the country or some bullshit) but I do hope that more and more of these protest style things keep happening and that Trumps authority keeps withering away.
Let Texas and Florida play nanny to the red states? Until Florida is underwater anyway.
That’ll be a fun decade
America’s over. Time to split and let the trump States suffer. It’s all we can do
It’s been pretty fragmented since the whole “states rights” movement.
If WA OR CA governors wanted to start forming a bloc to negotiate deals internationally that would be interesting.
Can they even do this? What leverage does CA have here? Presumably any goods imported into the state would be subject to US tariffs because those are imposed at the Federal level, so it’s not like Newsom can offer to exempt other countries imports from tariffs if they’re bound for California.
Well, OK, in one sense he could, but he’d literally have to direct officials in California to defy US federal law, and possibly get into direct conflict with Federal agents operating in the state, right?
Assuming he’s not going to do that, how does this play work? What does he offer in return for other countries exempting CA from their counter tariffs?
Also, how is this not a stepping stone towards an independent California? (I strongly suspect the answer to that last question is “it is, end of answer”)
Off the top of my head,
-
Yes, this is an explicit step away from the authority of the federal government
-
It is FAR from California’s first step (recognizing gay marriage; sanctuary state; legal weed; etc)
-
It is not a complete defiance of federal law per se. I suspect that the way California is going to try to negotiate will be by offering breaks on its own state and local taxes. California has a decent slew of state level taxes on many things. The state may be willing to reduce its own state taxes to offset the federal taxes as part of a separate deal with foreign nations.
Well they may not have to defy federal law. Could be a good faith deal. Where if California imports something the tariffs are still paid by the ordering companies, but California gives some kind of kick back or assurance that they will remain a better trading partner for a lesser retaliatory tariff. If say China says no tariffs on California, it would make many companies flock to doing all business that ships to China go through California. Making their industry possibly not hurt as bad, or even thrive.
If states start to see they are hurting much more than California, more states may flock to the ideals that are proping up said trade.
It’s all very big IF’s
-
Like the law fucking matters now in the era of Trump.
Refusing to levy the federal tariff and daring Trump to do something about it as the only way this could work I could think of too. That could go pear shaped very fast
What leverage does California have?
Half of all fruits and vegetables grown in the country come from California. Something like 99% of all almonds are grown here, too.
We are the land of fruits and nuts. 🤪
I’d be for it. Then we could yell STATES RAIGHTS as we do it.
Why does it matter? Trump ignores the constitution regularly.
Yeah the customs at California ports is run by the federal agency
The California Republic should just secede already.
I agree since the Colorado is being bled dry
Well they voted to do a study to determine if they should. I think its good for them to do it over the period of years, not months.
How would this even work?
Products coming into California would be subject to Trump’s tariffs. California has no control over that. Is California expecting other countries to simply ignore that and give California a pass because they’re besties or something? That would be a completely lopsided and unfair trade deal for those countries. And the more states that sign on to this “California deal” where incoming goods are still subject to Trump tariffs but products coming from those states are somehow exempt from the retaliatory tariffs would only serve to make the deal even more lopsided against those countries.
If I were the leader of any of these countries, I’d be telling Newsom to go pound sand and to put the pressure on their own elected leader to bring an end to this bullshit, and until then, the retaliatory tariffs stay.
State taxes/subsidies.
Kick out the feds from the port
Cali independence confirmed
Honestly I hope Newsom takes this fight and loses, even though I applaud the effort. It’s an unconstitutional overreach for a state to step into international trade and relations. But having the fight over it will both remind the rabid right why we have a federal government, and what they could lose if they keep going down this path.
