Here’s A Brief History About The Feud Between President Trump And California
President Donald Trump has made no mystery about his discontent with the state of California. The president has tried to talk down to the most populated state in the country boasting 12 percent of the population. Not to mention, California is the fifth largest economy in the world surpassing Great Britain last year.
There are several speculations about why Trump is so angry with The Golden State. Conversations around the City of Angels point to his perceived snub at the Emmys since “Celebrity Apprentice” never won an award. It is such a sore subject for the president that Hillary Clinton mentioned the snubs during the 2016 campaign.
Another sore spot for the president is the overwhelming and crushing defeat his presidential run experienced in California. Clinton figuratively stomped Trump with her 2.8 million vote win of the popular vote. In California, Clinton beat Trump by more than 4 million votes.
Not to mention all the times that California has taken Trump to court and blocked several of his measures aimed at hindering immigration and the environment.
Here’s a brief look at the feud between Trump and California that has transpired in the past couple of years.
On June 16, 2015, Trump announced his run for president and did so by saying that Mexicans were rapists and drug dealers.
.@Univision cares far more about Mexico than it does about the U.S. Are they controlled by the Mexican government?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2015
Trump said in 2015: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
He also said that he would: “terminate President Obama’s illegal executive order on immigration, immediately.”
This statement alone set into motion a narrative that is against Mexicans, Latinos in general, and all immigrants.
Trump’s anti-immigration agenda included going after sanctuary cities, many of which are in California.
I am very proud to have brought the subject of illegal immigration back into the discussion. Such a big problem for our country-I will solve
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2016
With the help of Attorney General Jeff Sessions — who’s always been outspoken about immigration and sanctuary cities — the Trump administration issued a harsh stance against undocumented people and the city officials who protect them.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have conducted several raids throughout the country, particularly in California including the Bay Area, Central Valley, and Los Angeles.
One of the ways California fought back against Trump targeting immigrants in that state was by passing the California Values Act.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by ✨ Bella Speaks Her Heart ✨ (@bella.speaks.her.heart) on
On Oct. 5, 2017, Governor Brown singed the California Values Act, Senate Bill 54, which prohibits local officials and resources from aiding federal officials in carrying out raids.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the law “ensures that no state or local resources are diverted to fuel any attempt by the federal government to carry out mass deportations and that our schools, our hospitals, and our courthouses are safe spaces for everyone in our community.”
There’s been so much pushback from California that Trump has threatened to pull ICE out of the state.
“If we ever pulled our ICE out, if we ever said, ‘Hey, let California alone, let them figure it out for themselves,’ in two months they’d be begging for us to come back,” Trump said during a press conference. “They would be begging. And you know what, I’m thinking about doing it.”
Interestingly enough James Schwab, an ICE spokesman for the San Francisco Division, resigned yesterday saying he was basically told to lie.
James Schwab, a spokesman for the San Francisco Division of ICE, has resigned, citing what he says are falsehoods being spread by members of the Trump administration including Attorney General Jeff Sessions https://t.co/j5MgAuLVfq
— CNN (@CNN) March 13, 2018
“I just couldn’t bear the burden — continuing on as a representative of the agency and charged with upholding integrity, knowing that information was false,” Schwab said on CNN.
Schwab said he had a particular issue with the number that was being thrown around by Sessions and ICE director Tom Homan. Both officials said they wanted to detain 800 undocumented immigrants, but because Oakland Mayor announced the raid beforehand, they couldn’t get all of their targets.
“It’s a false statement because we never pick up 100 percent of our targets. And to say they’re a type of dangerous criminal is also misleading,” Schwab said on CNN.
One of the biggest contested issues between Californians and Trump is the border wall. Neither the U.S. or Mexico has agreed to pay for it.
Heading to see the BORDER WALL prototypes in California! pic.twitter.com/fU6Ukc271l
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018
Since the beginning of his campaign, Trump has demanded more security and a “stronger” border. But the main problem — which has yet to be resolved — is that no one wants to pay for it. Not Mexico or the U.S.
In 2017, California Sen. Ricardo Lara introduced a bill that would blacklist any state company that worked on Trump’s wall.
“If you’re a business that wants to do work with Trump’s proposed wall, then quite frankly, California doesn’t want to do business with you,” Lara said last year, according to NPR.
In 2018, California really stepped up their vigorous challenges against the president like during the time of inhumane family separations.
17 states sue over Trump family separations – POLITICO https://t.co/bwY49ulynx
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) June 26, 2018
California was one of 17 states to bring lawsuits against the Trump administration over the zero-tolerance policy implemented by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The Trump administration tried to act like they didn’t create the crisis at the border but the policy made it clear that they were to blame. As a result, federal courts ordered the Trump administration to reunite family but it was discovered that would be difficult because the administration did not properly register all the families separated. Some families are still indefinitely separated under the brutal and inhumane policy.
California has also been relentlessly fighting against the war on women perpetrated by the Trump administration.
Last week @AGBecerra filed a lawsuit, challenging the Trump administration’s attacks on critical access to abortion & family-planning services for patients. We are grateful to have him as an ally to protect women's reproductive freedom. https://t.co/kdcYE5PAZC
— PublicRightsProject (@public_rights) March 11, 2019
By stripping federal funding from women’s healthcare centers, low-income women are going to be impacted. The Trump administration has made Planned Parenthood their greatest enemy and there doesn’t seem to be an end to their attacks in sight. Fortunately, states are standing up for their residents and fighting the Trump administration on their behalf.
And, most recently, there is the matter fo the citizenship question, which California is suing about.
“This week, a judge in California became the second federal judge to block the Administration from including a question about citizenship status on the 2020 Census.”https://t.co/mUW8yrMdtP
— autselfadvocacy (@autselfadvocacy) March 14, 2019
Trump’s desire to question people about their citizenship on the census has been embroiled in legal battles since it was announced. Critics of the question say that the move will disproportionately impact states with high immigrant populations. The question could lead to some states losing billions in federal funds and lowering their representative and electoral college numbers.
