Governors, Attorneys General Roll Out Plans to Contest Trump Admin’s Policies

Former President Donald Trump gestures on stage during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 6, 2024. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Officials in states including California, New York, Illinois, Washington, and New Jersey are preparing to contest President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming policies—related to immigration, abortion, and environmental regulations—when he assumes office on Jan. 20.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Nov. 7 statement that he was convening a special session of the Legislature—beginning Dec. 2—to “safeguard” the Golden State’s values and “fundamental rights.”

“California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive,” Newsom stated.

The governor is requesting lawmakers pass legislation providing money to the California Department of Justice and other agencies to fund potential litigation against the incoming Trump administration’s policies.

During Trump’s first term, the Golden State filed more than 120 lawsuits against his administration.

“California developed a successful roadmap for fighting back and standing up for our state’s values and our people’s constitutional rights,” the governor wrote in a Nov. 7 proclamation.

For more than a year, legal teams from California’s offices of the governor and attorney general have been preparing proposed actions in case Trump won, according to the statement.

“We are marshaling the arguments and evidence needed to be ready to challenge in court unconstitutional and unlawful federal policies, and to mount robust and vigorous defenses of California’s laws, policies and programs, on issues critical to Californians,” the governor wrote.

Trump said in a Nov. 8 Truth Social post that the governor is “trying to kill our nation’s beautiful California” and questioned “insane policy decisions”—including those related to water management, inflation, environmental regulations, illegal immigration, and voter identification—that he said are detrimental to California residents and are causing some to flee the state.

“He is using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the great things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I just overwhelmingly won the election,” Trump wrote.

One state lawmaker said Newsom’s call to convene the Legislature and the plan to ramp up legal action against the incoming administration is too costly for taxpayers.

“He wants to allocate money—when we can’t afford it; we’re in a deficit—to fund lawsuits against Trump,” Assemblyman Bill Essayli, a Republican, told The Epoch Times on Nov. 7.

Assemblyman Bill Essayli addresses the Legislature on the floor of the Assembly at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2024. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

The lawmaker interpreted Trump’s more than 300 electoral votes and margin of about 5 million in his popular vote win as a mandate that included the will of millions of Californians.

Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office is coordinating with the governor and legislators to secure the resources needed to support potential legal challenges.

“No matter what the incoming administration has in store, California will keep moving forward,” Bonta said in a statement. “We stand ready to defend your rights and protect California values.”

New York

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul held a press conference on Nov. 6 about what she described as an “uncertainty” with the incoming government while also congratulating Trump and committing to cooperating with his administration.

“I will work with [Trump], or anybody, regardless of party, on these kinds of efforts that I know will benefit the state of New York,” Hochul said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 21, 2024. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

She said she wants Trump to support the state’s transit projects, repeal the elimination of state and local tax deductions, and back “critical economic development projects.”

Hochul said that the state is ready to challenge any perceived transgressions.

“If you try to harm New Yorkers or roll back their rights, I will fight you every step of the way,” she said. “We fought the first time around and will do it again.”

State Attorney General Letitia James said, “I congratulate the President-elect Donald Trump and, if possible, we will work with his administration but we will not compromise our values, or our integrity, or our principles.”

She said the outcome of the election came as a surprise.

“We did not expect this result, but we are prepared to respond to this result,” James said. “My office has been preparing for several months because we’ve been here before, we faced this challenge before. We used the rule of law to fight back, and we are prepared to fight back once again.”

Between 2019 and 2021, the state brought nearly 100 legal challenges against the Trump administration, she said.

“We worked around the clock to defend these basic rights with our democratic colleagues across this nation,” James said. “We have been working both in my office and with other Democratic AG’s across this country to make sure that we could be ready to respond to any attempts to roll back our rights.”

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) said she sees opportunity as the incoming president’s message resonated with voters in the state because his campaign focused on matters that many feel are impacting their quality of life—including securing the border, deporting criminals, reducing inflation, and lowering taxes.

“President Trump did better than ever in New York because he showed up and pledged to address the issues on our minds,” Malliotakis wrote in a Nov. 7 post on social media platform X.

Illinois

Billionaire Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said on Nov. 7 that Trump’s first term was challenging for some states and thus some officials were experiencing “unease” with his election.

Though not the outcome he expected, Illinois is ready to navigate the next four years, according to the governor.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker addresses the crowd at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

“While I was certainly surprised by Tuesday’s results, I was not unprepared,” Pritzker said. “The General Assembly and I took proactive steps to plan for the potential of a second Trump presidency.”

Saying he feels “reasonably okay” about the state’s readiness, he expressed a willingness to meet with Trump on mutually beneficial terms.

“He won the election, and we all must be willing to work together for the common good,” Pritzker said. “In the months ahead, we should all be focused on the peaceful transition of power ... but we also must be focused on the defense of our entire Constitution.”

New Jersey

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy highlighted the opportunities that exist to bring together diverse perspectives and stakeholders from both sides of the aisle.

“As we look toward the future, our administration is committed to working with President Trump wherever we can to advance New Jersey’s interests just as we did throughout his first term,” Murphy said on Nov. 6. “Our commitment, again, is not to any person or party, but to the people of New Jersey and to the rule of law.”

He expressed gratitude for Trump’s assistance in greenlighting an infrastructure project in his first term and for his administration’s partnership during the pandemic, saying he’ll “never forget their help.”

“So today, at a time of great division in our nation, when the bonds between our fellow citizens have grown so frayed, let New Jersey be united in making our state and ... our nation the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”

Forging relationships that serve multiple purposes and offer widespread benefits is a priority, he said.

“We’re going to fight for what we believe is being attacked ... and we won’t pull punches on that front, but we will embrace where we can find common ground, and we’ve been able to do that and kept that up,” Murphy said. “Just as it is our responsibility to continue to stand up against any threat to our state or to our people, it is also our responsibility to take any opportunity that presents itself to work with the president to protect and uplift the people of our state because that is what responsible leaders do.”

Washington State

Washington’s incoming and outgoing governors said the Evergreen State is prepared to sue the Trump administration if its values are challenged, after having filed 97 lawsuits during Trump’s first four years in office.

“Many are understandably worried about the outcome of the presidential election, but Washingtonians know we’ve been here before,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. “Our state and others formed enduring alliances for progress during Trump’s first term in office, and we will continue to push the needle of progress for a more perfect union.”

Governor-elect Bob Ferguson said in a Nov. 7 press conference that his administration is ready to take on the federal government if necessary.

“Months ago, my legal team began preparing for a potential second Trump administration,” Ferguson said. “We knew from our extensive experience during his first term that we would need to be prepared from day one if he was reelected.”

During Trump’s first tenure, 160 multistate lawsuits were filed against his administration. About 60 such suits were filed against President Joe Biden, the second-highest total in at least the last 40 years, according to data compiled by Paul Nolette, an associate professor at Marquette University.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey also voiced a willingness to challenge the new administration on immigration policies, telling media outlets that state police will not cooperate with requests from the federal government to participate in operations to deport illegal immigrants. Trump campaigned on a promise to deport criminals who entered the country illegally.

Trump Team’s Response

Highlighting the broad victory that saw support for the incoming president increase in many states, counties, and cities across the nation, the president-elect’s team said he is focused on serving the interests of Americans across the country.

“The American people reelected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail,“ Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman, told The Epoch Times on Nov. 8. ”He will deliver.”