Gavin Newsom stood on the Assembly floor Thursday and described a federal government he said no longer recognizes the people it governs.
“The federal government, respectfully, it’s unrecognizable,” the California governor told lawmakers in Sacramento, via the Associated Press. “Protecting the powerful at the expense of the vulnerable.” Then he paused, and sharpened it.
“Their credo seems to be about fear — fear of the future, fear of the stranger, fear of change,” he said.
It’s time for the President of the United States to act like a President for ALL the United States. pic.twitter.com/DzlmdLDrkk
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 8, 2026
It was Newsom’s final State of the State address. Yet, it didn’t sound like a farewell.
The Democrat aimed much of his speech directly at President Donald Trump, accusing the administration of staging what he called a “carnival of chaos on the national stage,” a phrase Politico noted drew applause inside the chamber.
Newsom warned that democracy itself was at stake, pointing to federal efforts to withhold food aid, deploy the National Guard in Democratic-led cities, and cut medical research funding.
This is the California Way. pic.twitter.com/ciDqC7ihPs
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 8, 2026
California, he argued, should be read as a counter-model. “We are a beacon,” Newsom said. “An operational model, a policy blueprint for others to follow.” Newsom wasn’t shy to list why the state exceled while he was at the helm.
He leaned hard into his legacy. Eight years in office are nearly done, and a third term is constitutionally barred. Newsom was forthright, because sometimes the stage doesn’t call for subtext.
Newsom highlighted progress on issues that have long defined his tenure, as well as his vulnerabilities.
He said unsheltered homelessness dropped 9% last year, though his office did not immediately release the data backing the claim. He touted lower homicide rates in cities like Oakland and San Francisco and pointed to $267 million sent to law enforcement in 2023 to fight retail and property crime.
BREAKING: California’s homeless population just dropped 9% statewide — the largest drop in nearly two decades. pic.twitter.com/2RY41sZWir
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 8, 2026
And he wasn’t afraid to address a term that others shirk from. Affordability threaded through the speech.
Newsom warned that large investors buying up housing stock are “putting pressure on rents and crushing dreams of homeownership.” He framed housing, healthcare, groceries, and utilities not as abstractions, but as daily stressors.
“Affordability — it’s not a word we just discovered,” he said, in a pointed jab noted by Politico.
Thanks to local law enforcement and the help of @CHP_HQ, we’ve seen double-digit decreases in crime overall and record-low homicide rates.
There’s more work to be done, but to those with California Derangement Syndrome, it’s time to update your talking points. pic.twitter.com/FLtP4ZQByE
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) January 8, 2026
The governor also revisited California’s long-running clashes with Trump. He reminded lawmakers the state has sued the Trump administration more than 50 times and criticized the White House for failing to respond to California’s request for nearly $34 billion in wildfire recovery aid after last year’s deadly Los Angeles-area fires. The criticism earned a standing ovation.
Newsom delivered the address in person for the first time since 2022. In recent years, he avoided live speeches, citing dyslexia and a preference for written submissions or prerecorded remarks. This time, he embraced the room and the symbolism.
He also mocked his critics. “California Derangement Syndrome,” he called it — flipping a phrase Trump has long used against opponents.
Behind the rhetoric sat something more deliberate. Newsom framed California’s progressive taxes, climate policies, and regulation of emerging technologies as intentional choices, not accidents. There was no need for lingering words or goodbyes. He stated his fact clinically.
“California’s success is not by chance,” he said. “It’s by design.”
