Donald Trump has his fair share of haters, but according to the The New York Times, California is his true nemesis. Apparently, the Trump administration has a personal vendetta against the Golden State, which only escalated after new laws went into effect January 1.
The Times wrote:
“What had been a rhetorical battle between a liberal state and a conservative administration is now a full-fledged fight. Just as Californians were enjoying their first days of legal pot smoking, the Trump administration moved to enforce federal laws against the drug.”
State Senate Leader Kevin de León didn’t take too kindly to the anti-marijuana campaign. “Whether Jeff Sessions likes cannabis is not the question,” Mr. de León said. “The people of California voted overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana for recreational use.”
Never mind that it is still a federal offense.
The State Senator has been a staunch protester against President Donald Trump and his policies since day one. When the federal government said they would expand oil drilling, de León named the move an assault on “our pristine coastline.”
Immigration is still a huge bone of contention with California lawmakers, who chose to become the first and only sanctuary state in the nation as of January 1 and incorporated laws that restrict citizens and local and state authorities from enforcing immigration laws.
Thomas Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told Fox News that “Californians better hold on tight. They are about to see a lot more special agents, a lot more deportation officers. If the politicians in California don’t want to protect their communities, then ICE will.”
Homan suggested politicians should be held accountable for crimes committed by undocumented immigrants that are repeat offenders since they will not uphold the immigration laws. This did not sit well with the mayor of Sacramento, Darrell Steinberg, who tweeted out a vague call to arms, almost taunting the federal government to come and get him.
.@ICEgov Director says he wants to arrest local elected officials for defending civil liberties and protecting our communities.
Well, they certainly know where to find me…https://t.co/oy1qNEyTQV
— Darrell Steinberg (@Mayor_Steinberg) January 4, 2018
Steinberg’s tweet was not met favorably among his constituents. Dan Johnson commented: “Should there be a California vs the U.S. in a #civilwar, I will proudly fight for the union … first mission to go after political turn-coats like you. #MAGA.”
The Times continued to rally around the state, citing perceived snubs to Californians:
For his part, Mr. Trump is the first president since Dwight D. Eisenhower to not take a trip to California in his first calendar year in office, not even to visit his golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes, south of Los Angeles, or a mansion he owns in Beverly Hills, or to tour the vast damage left in the wake of a series of wildfires. By contrast, he has made multiple trips to other states hit by natural disasters, including Texas and Florida after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
Clash of the Titans
State lawmakers have opposed the Trump Administration right out of the gates. As Liberty Nation reported, there were 24 lawsuits filed against the administration just in 2017. Officials have contemplated a way to break the state away unto its own little country, and their arrogance has only grown stronger. They are bound and determined to fight and repeal, if possible, every effort the president makes.
When the new tax laws made it so that Californians could no longer claim state taxes as a federal deduction, the powers-that-be – namely de León – made it so the residents could claim the state income tax as a charitable contribution, effectively going around the federal change.
The Times said: “California has been energized in the age of Trump to take the lead in opposing what many here believe is a depressing reversal of American progress.”
Who is going to win this clash of wills? Whose political sword is mightier?
