Trump 'knock[s] the hell' out of California on fundraising trip to the state
The former president presented his bleak perspective on the state against the backdrop of a pristine coastal vista.
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**RANCHO PALOS VERDES, California** — Former President Donald Trump took aim at California during a recent event at his golf course, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean, describing the state as a hellscape and warning of the consequences if Vice President Kamala Harris were to win the presidency.
This attack comes in the wake of Trump’s anticipated confrontations with Harris during a debate earlier in the week, but he instead chose a direct approach, delivering his criticisms in person while attending a fundraising event.
The juxtaposition of Trump's bleak portrayal of California against the backdrop of its stunning coastline created a striking contrast.
“I'm here today in California with a very simple message for the American people,” Trump stated at his Friday news conference. “We cannot allow comrade Kamala Harris and the communist left to do to America what they did to California. California is a mess.”
Conservatives have long used California as a target for criticism, often framing it as a symbol of excessive liberalism. This narrative has taken on heightened relevance since Harris, a California native, is now a prominent figure on the Democratic ticket.
Trump criticized Harris’ record, particularly referencing her time as a prosecutor, a role she has used as a key component of her campaign. He labeled her as soft on crime, calling her the “godmother of sanctuary cities.”
He also mentioned her controversial decision regarding the 2004 murder of San Francisco police officer Isaac Espinoza, where she ruled out the death penalty for the suspect prior to the officer’s funeral. This decision drew backlash from various quarters, including fellow Democrats, and significantly influenced Harris’ political trajectory.
The Harris campaign promptly dismissed Trump’s news conference as part of his ongoing struggles, particularly following a debate that even Republican commentators like Karl Rove deemed “catastrophic.”
“Donald Trump took his train wreck on the debate stage straight to California,” remarked James Singer, a spokesperson for the campaign. “In a rambling, defensive, often incoherent event to promote his golf course, he yet again showed the country how he is melting down.”
Trump didn’t limit his critiques to Harris; he also took aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom, whom he derogatorily referred to as “Newscum,” criticizing his approach to issues like homelessness and escalating crime rates.
While violent crime in California rose by 3 percent compared to the previous year, the state has experienced a significant decline in homicides — nearly 16 percent, according to a July report from the attorney general. Despite recent upticks, crime rates still remain below the peaks seen in the early 1990s.
“I’m saying how bad she was and what a bad job she’s done. What a horrible governor Newscum has been — he’s been horrible,” Trump proclaimed, admitting that his tough stance may negatively impact his own business interests in California.
“So many people are leaving, and I’m hurting my own property. And that cost me lots of money,” he continued. “But it’s OK because this is unimportant compared to saving the United States of America.”
In a lengthy discourse on water shortages, Trump threatened to withhold federal disaster relief funding unless state officials complied with his demands to bypass environmental regulations and send more water to Southern California.
"And Gavin Newscum is going to sign those papers, and if he doesn't sign those papers, we won't give him money to put out all his fires, and if we don't give him the money to put out his fires, he's got problems," he asserted.
Newsom subsequently shared a clip of Trump's comments online, highlighting the implications of Trump's admissions regarding emergency relief funding. He stated that “every voter should be aware that Trump just admitted he will block emergency disaster funds to settle political vendettas.”
"Today it’s California’s wildfires. Tomorrow it could be hurricane funding for North Carolina or flooding assistance for homeowners in Pennsylvania," Newsom cautioned, referencing key swing states. "Donald Trump doesn’t care about America — he only cares about himself."
Trump's criticisms also touched on local concerns close to his Southern California golf course. Situated in Rancho Palos Verdes, the course lies near an active landslide area, where residents have faced utility shutoffs and evacuation alerts due to potential land instability.
He invited Rancho Palos Verdes mayor John Cruikshank to address the audience, where Cruikshank called for increased state and federal assistance. “I guess the governor’s not doing much,” Trump quipped, accusing state and federal entities of being “missing in action.” Notably, Newsom had declared a state of emergency for the city just ten days prior.
Trump insisted that improving California should be a straightforward task, praising the state’s natural advantages that have contributed to its success as an economic and cultural powerhouse.
“We're standing out here on the Pacific Ocean in the most beautiful weather,” Trump remarked. “A lot of states don't have weather like this. They don't have Pacific Oceans. So it's many things you could do, but you start lowering taxes and making it friendly.”
He emphasized that this friendliness should involve attracting high-profile business figures like Elon Musk, who have recently departed California, often criticizing the state's social policies and tax structure. Trump claimed that Musk stated no elected official, including Newsom, attempted to dissuade him from leaving.
“Nobody even calls him to try and get him to stay. I would have been on him. I would have said, ‘Let's have lunch, let's have dinner and then let's have breakfast the following morning.’”
Amidst his critique of California, Trump also reflected on his recent debate performance against Harris, asserting, “I did very well, but I was fighting three people, fighting crazy left radical lunatics at ABC.”
His ire wasn't just reserved for those involved in the debate; Trump also targeted network personalities like George Stephanopoulos. However, much of his frustration was aimed at David Muir, one of the moderators, whose fact-checking of Trump’s statements regarding crime statistics clearly left an impression.
He labeled Muir a “foolish fool,” claiming that the anchor wrongly corrected him on assertions about rising crime rates. Muir had pointed out that FBI data indicated crime was down overall.
The Trump campaign later disputed this, arguing that federal statistics fail to include major cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago. A set of preliminary statistics released on Thursday indicated a slight uptick in nonfatal violent victimization — encompassing rape, assault, and battery — compared to the previous year.
“Findings show that there was an overall decline in the rate of violent victimization over the last three decades, from 1993 to 2023,” noted Kevin M. Scott, the bureau’s acting director. “While the 2023 rate was higher than those in 2020 and 2021, it was not statistically different from the rate 5 years ago, in 2019.”
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
This attack comes in the wake of Trump’s anticipated confrontations with Harris during a debate earlier in the week, but he instead chose a direct approach, delivering his criticisms in person while attending a fundraising event.
The juxtaposition of Trump's bleak portrayal of California against the backdrop of its stunning coastline created a striking contrast.
“I'm here today in California with a very simple message for the American people,” Trump stated at his Friday news conference. “We cannot allow comrade Kamala Harris and the communist left to do to America what they did to California. California is a mess.”
Conservatives have long used California as a target for criticism, often framing it as a symbol of excessive liberalism. This narrative has taken on heightened relevance since Harris, a California native, is now a prominent figure on the Democratic ticket.
Trump criticized Harris’ record, particularly referencing her time as a prosecutor, a role she has used as a key component of her campaign. He labeled her as soft on crime, calling her the “godmother of sanctuary cities.”
He also mentioned her controversial decision regarding the 2004 murder of San Francisco police officer Isaac Espinoza, where she ruled out the death penalty for the suspect prior to the officer’s funeral. This decision drew backlash from various quarters, including fellow Democrats, and significantly influenced Harris’ political trajectory.
The Harris campaign promptly dismissed Trump’s news conference as part of his ongoing struggles, particularly following a debate that even Republican commentators like Karl Rove deemed “catastrophic.”
“Donald Trump took his train wreck on the debate stage straight to California,” remarked James Singer, a spokesperson for the campaign. “In a rambling, defensive, often incoherent event to promote his golf course, he yet again showed the country how he is melting down.”
Trump didn’t limit his critiques to Harris; he also took aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom, whom he derogatorily referred to as “Newscum,” criticizing his approach to issues like homelessness and escalating crime rates.
While violent crime in California rose by 3 percent compared to the previous year, the state has experienced a significant decline in homicides — nearly 16 percent, according to a July report from the attorney general. Despite recent upticks, crime rates still remain below the peaks seen in the early 1990s.
“I’m saying how bad she was and what a bad job she’s done. What a horrible governor Newscum has been — he’s been horrible,” Trump proclaimed, admitting that his tough stance may negatively impact his own business interests in California.
“So many people are leaving, and I’m hurting my own property. And that cost me lots of money,” he continued. “But it’s OK because this is unimportant compared to saving the United States of America.”
In a lengthy discourse on water shortages, Trump threatened to withhold federal disaster relief funding unless state officials complied with his demands to bypass environmental regulations and send more water to Southern California.
"And Gavin Newscum is going to sign those papers, and if he doesn't sign those papers, we won't give him money to put out all his fires, and if we don't give him the money to put out his fires, he's got problems," he asserted.
Newsom subsequently shared a clip of Trump's comments online, highlighting the implications of Trump's admissions regarding emergency relief funding. He stated that “every voter should be aware that Trump just admitted he will block emergency disaster funds to settle political vendettas.”
"Today it’s California’s wildfires. Tomorrow it could be hurricane funding for North Carolina or flooding assistance for homeowners in Pennsylvania," Newsom cautioned, referencing key swing states. "Donald Trump doesn’t care about America — he only cares about himself."
Trump's criticisms also touched on local concerns close to his Southern California golf course. Situated in Rancho Palos Verdes, the course lies near an active landslide area, where residents have faced utility shutoffs and evacuation alerts due to potential land instability.
He invited Rancho Palos Verdes mayor John Cruikshank to address the audience, where Cruikshank called for increased state and federal assistance. “I guess the governor’s not doing much,” Trump quipped, accusing state and federal entities of being “missing in action.” Notably, Newsom had declared a state of emergency for the city just ten days prior.
Trump insisted that improving California should be a straightforward task, praising the state’s natural advantages that have contributed to its success as an economic and cultural powerhouse.
“We're standing out here on the Pacific Ocean in the most beautiful weather,” Trump remarked. “A lot of states don't have weather like this. They don't have Pacific Oceans. So it's many things you could do, but you start lowering taxes and making it friendly.”
He emphasized that this friendliness should involve attracting high-profile business figures like Elon Musk, who have recently departed California, often criticizing the state's social policies and tax structure. Trump claimed that Musk stated no elected official, including Newsom, attempted to dissuade him from leaving.
“Nobody even calls him to try and get him to stay. I would have been on him. I would have said, ‘Let's have lunch, let's have dinner and then let's have breakfast the following morning.’”
Amidst his critique of California, Trump also reflected on his recent debate performance against Harris, asserting, “I did very well, but I was fighting three people, fighting crazy left radical lunatics at ABC.”
His ire wasn't just reserved for those involved in the debate; Trump also targeted network personalities like George Stephanopoulos. However, much of his frustration was aimed at David Muir, one of the moderators, whose fact-checking of Trump’s statements regarding crime statistics clearly left an impression.
He labeled Muir a “foolish fool,” claiming that the anchor wrongly corrected him on assertions about rising crime rates. Muir had pointed out that FBI data indicated crime was down overall.
The Trump campaign later disputed this, arguing that federal statistics fail to include major cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago. A set of preliminary statistics released on Thursday indicated a slight uptick in nonfatal violent victimization — encompassing rape, assault, and battery — compared to the previous year.
“Findings show that there was an overall decline in the rate of violent victimization over the last three decades, from 1993 to 2023,” noted Kevin M. Scott, the bureau’s acting director. “While the 2023 rate was higher than those in 2020 and 2021, it was not statistically different from the rate 5 years ago, in 2019.”
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
