California Gov. Gavin Newsom released his Fourth of July address on Saturday after previewing it the day before — and much of the nearly eight-minute speech centered on U.S. President Donald Trump.
Newsom’s office had circulated portions of the remarks in advance as the Democratic governor works to expand his national profile ahead of a possible White House run. Based on those excerpts, the address appeared likely to focus on election policy and push back against Trump’s claims that California’s voting system is unfair or “rigged.”
But the final speech went beyond election administration, with Newsom repeatedly taking direct aim at Trump in personal and political terms.
The California governor argued that Trump is worried about the upcoming November midterm elections.
“The American people will go to the polls, and President Trump knows what’s coming,” Newsom said during the address.
He continued by accusing Trump of acting out of self-interest, saying the president is “afraid for himself” and claiming he does not care about voters, the country or even his own party.
Newsom also accused Trump of corruption, even as the governor and his wife face scrutiny from the federal Department of Justice.
“He has added more than $4 billion to his personal fortune while sitting in what is supposed to be a public trust,” Newsom said of Trump. “He told you he was going to drain the swamp, but he gave it a presidential suite.”
“He is degrading the concept of American self-government in a way that no king and no foreign power has ever managed to do,” the governor added.
Newsom also did some historical storytelling, recounting to the audience Trump’s actions after his 2020 presidential election loss to Joe Biden and the January 6th riots at the capitol. Newsom droned on about the president using the National Guard in California and other states to respond to intense protests last year.
The governor blasted the US Supreme Court for not standing up to the Trump administration.
All that is proof that “a man like Trump does not lose gracefully. He grabs every lever of power within reach, cheats, lies, and steals to hold on,” said Newsom.
Newsom ended his speech by comparing the need to stand up to Trump with historical moments like the fight for women’s suffrage and the civil rights movement.
The California Post reached out to the White House for comment.
