Donald Trump has renewed his attack on longtime political rival Gavin Newsom, criticizing the California governor’s decision to commute the death sentences of 548 inmates. The president called the move a “disaster for justice in America.”
On November 5, in one of his final major actions as governor, Newsom announced that every person on California’s death row would have their sentence changed to life in prison without parole.
The decision drew fierce opposition, particularly from conservatives. Trump accused Newsom of blocking executions for “some of the worst cold-blooded murderers to have ever lived.”
He also argued that the policy ignored the suffering of victims’ relatives, saying the families of those “so viciously killed” were understandably devastated.
Newsom acknowledged the “indescribable suffering” caused by the prisoners, but maintained that California should not take their lives.
“State-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system and diminishes each of us,” he wrote in a letter to state residents.
“I know we cannot execute people in our imperfect legal system and remain true to our core values, first among them justice and human decency.”
As the controversy intensified, Newsom revealed that the murder of a 12-year-old girl played a decisive role in his decision to extend clemency to all of California’s death-row inmates.
Donald Trump criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom over his decision to commute the death sentences of every inmate on the state’s death row
Trump took to social media to call Newsom’s decision a “disaster for justice in America”
Newsom outlined the policy in a letter to California residents and continues to face widespread criticism
Polly Klaas, a 12-year-old schoolgirl from Petaluma, was abducted from the Northern California city and murdered in 1993.
Richard Allen Davis was arrested, convicted and sentenced to death for the crime.
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Newsom said a meeting with Klaas’s two sisters in October helped change his perspective. They told him that executing Davis would not bring Polly back, ease their grief or restore their sense of justice.
Their testimony deeply affected the governor, who later described the meeting as one of the most meaningful of his life and a central influence on his decision.
Polly’s father, Marc, has taken a different view. He has strongly criticized Newsom’s approach to capital punishment and said he does not support commuting the sentences.
Speaking to the California Post, he accused Newsom of freeing killers who, in his view, are “absolutely the worst, most disgusting people that have ever lived.”
Michael and Cynthia Ellerin, whose daughter Ashley was killed by a man in 2001, expressed similar anger.
They told Our News Outlet that Newsom’s decision felt like a “slap in the face” to their family and to relatives of murder victims throughout California.
“I could tell you if it was his daughter, he would change his tune,” Cynthia said.
California has more convicted prisoners on death row than any other state, yet it has carried out only one execution in the past 20 years.
The legal process for putting Newsom’s controversial decision into effect has also come under scrutiny.
Under the state constitution, the governor can independently grant clemency and commute the sentences of inmates convicted of only one felony.
However, approval from the California Supreme Court is necessary when a prisoner has been convicted of more than one felony.
Based on figures released by Newsom’s office, the court would therefore need to review 382 of the commutations.
Our News Outlet contacted Newsom’s office for comment.
