Democrats from California to Illinois prepare to ‘Trump-proof’ and ‘fight to death’ against his extreme proposals
Summary
Following Trump’s re-election, Democratic leaders in blue states are preparing to resist his second-term agenda, focusing on issues like abortion access, immigration, civil rights, and climate action.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a special session to “Trump-proof” the state, while Illinois and Colorado governors launched a coalition to defend state institutions against authoritarianism.
State attorneys general are readying legal challenges, citing a conservative judiciary and a more prepared Trump team.
Democrats also aim to lead grassroots resistance, with activists urging bold state-level protections amid fears of federal overreach.
California is one state where criminalization efforts have taken root. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would set aside $750 million from the state budget to help local governments conduct encampment sweeps, even though studies have found this practice to be harmful to homeless people’s health.
My life is on a trajectory to homelessness with disability and a system that refuses to help me. This is me, in the future, being traumatized, abused, and dying in a gutter somewhere while being criminalized because a political refugee from the other side of the world had to have a driver's license but had the cognitive capacity of a third grader. I was just commuting to work on a bicycle, a racer, upper middle class guy, working in a chain of high end bike shops. I'm you on an extremely unlucky day. You're only one bad day away from this exact same issue.