California to Negotiate Trade With Other Countries to Bypass Trump Tariffs

[u/sweatycat]

https://www.newsweek.com/california-newsom-trade-trump-tariffs-2055414

[u/Axin_Saxon]

Headline is more than a little clickbait-y.

Basically the governor is asking nations not to tariff goods made in California. He is not able to circumvent American tariffs, but he can try to play the game of “if you don’t tariff our goods, but instead hit red state exports , then California and other blue states can get richer and while red states get poorer, shifting the balance of power back to democrats and get a democratic government back who can repeal these tariffs.”

[u/SharkSymphony → u/Axin_Saxon]

It's not just the headline – this whole article is pure dreck. Shame on OP for passing along such a low-information source.

Here's the source people should be reading: Newsom's own press release.

Like you said, this is an attempt to get countries to exclude California export products from retaliation. Nothing can be done about import tariffs at the moment.

[u/UglyMcFugly → u/SharkSymphony]

You gotta read between the lines here. Shit like this is the first step... 

"To our international partners: As the fifth largest economy in the world, the Golden State will remain a steady, reliable partner for generations to come, no matter the turbulence coming out of Washington. California is not Washington, D.C."

He's making a statement to the world that California is a separate entity, talking about it's separate economy, and starting a direct dialog with foreign countries. This IS a big deal and I'm all for it.

[u/Great_Rhunder → u/UglyMcFugly]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is a really big. This is an international message that the US is not actually united and has someone stepping way out of bounds of their normal authority. That isn't to say they arw doing the right or wrong thing, but its dissent like we haven't seen in our lifetimes. I have no idea what the ramifications could or would be.

[u/reckless_responsibly → u/Great_Rhunder]

I don't know if I'd go quite so far as "dissent like we haven't seen in our lifetimes". Texas in particular has made a lot of independence adjacent noise during both Obama's and Biden's administrations.

[u/SharkSymphony → u/Great_Rhunder]

The way I see it, the US has always been a collection of loud, more-or-less unruly states. The bigger ones get more attention than the smaller ones, but there's drama going all the way back to the Articles of Confederation. Threats of secession aren't even that uncommon.

[u/SharkSymphony → u/UglyMcFugly]

I don't think it's that big a deal:

• California's had international name-brand recognition for decades. Nothing new there.
• California's been trumpeting that "fifth largest economy" line for – well, as long as we've been that! – though I'd guess we started the bragging when we cracked the top ten. 😛 Nothing new there.
• California's been wooing international investment and trade for decades. Nothing new there.

So, what's new? I'm not aware that California has ever asked other countries for favorable tax treatment on its exports before – that seems unusual. But in the context of all of the above, I don't think it's out of line.

The one thing I take issue with Newsom on in this statement is his assertion that we can be a reliable trading partner when the US is not. That's just not true, even if it is a nice aspiration. For one thing, the US dictates our import duties, not California. For another, the same instabilities that roil the US as a whole do exist here in California too.

[u/Outrageous-Orange007 → u/SharkSymphony]

Could just kick out customs

They're under the order of a man who isnt even the president.

Democracy is non negotiable and it gave Trump authority. Our right to vote gave him that

When he knowingly usurped powers of Congress(the supreme court stopped him from doing the exact same thing in 2019), to violate the constitution and harm American citizens, undermining our democracy, he was immediately stripped of his position and all authority.

Not by my opinion, but by the very logic of democracy itself. If he knowingly acts to undermine it(especially to harm American citizens)then he is undermining his own position which democracy granted him.

Democracy, the power of the people, the supreme power of the United States of America, is a law above all laws and a law before all US laws, it is not just the very foundation of our entire country, it is our soul as a nation.

And it is non negotiable.

[u/SharkSymphony → u/Outrageous-Orange007]

We are finding it is quite negotiable.

But wait, who was stripped of their position and all constitutional authority?

[u/Outrageous-Orange007 → u/SharkSymphony]

Any servant of the people who dares to knowingly undermine it to harm American citizens.

There is one thing like I said thats above the constitution, democracy.

Democracy created it(at least everything after the initial draft, but even it which it can change) and facilitates it and in a way interprets it.

Democracy is what people got their brains splattered onto the fields over. An unspoken, unwritten, but solidified in stone, rule of this nation.

At any point the American people are justified to do whatever they mist to resist acts of usurpation. Oir founding fathers were pretty straight forward on that.

What I'm saying isn't a vote of the people, its the very logic of democracy itself. If that servant isnt stripped of power immediately then democracy doesn't exist.

People don't understand what this nation even is fundamentally.

[u/SharkSymphony → u/Outrageous-Orange007]

You're talking in a bunch of generalities, but let's get down to specifics.

You said someone who usurped powers of Congress was stripped of their power and all constitutional authority. Of whom do you refer?

Because if you're talking about Trump, he was very much not stripped of power. He stepped down quietly after his pseudo-putsch went nowhere, in accordance with his term limit. And we let him do it. And then he was elected less than four years later and relieved of any consequences for his behavior. So that he had a green light to, you know, continue his quest to undermine democracy.

[u/Kindly-Employer-6075 → u/SharkSymphony]

You’re right—California’s international brand-building isn’t new. The “fifth largest economy” flex has been our party trick since the ‘90s, and courting foreign investment is as quintessentially CA as In-N-Out and traffic jams. But here’s why this moment is different:

1. Context Matters:

   • Past trade missions were about economic growth. This is about political resistance. Newsom isn’t just selling almonds and Silicon Valley—he’s positioning CA as a diplomatic counterweight to a rogue federal government. That’s unprecedented, even for us.
     

2. The Ask Is Bigger Than Tariffs:

   • Sure, CA can’t set import duties. But by lobbying for export exemptions, Newsom is essentially asking partners to treat CA as a customs-free zone within the U.S.—a carve-out that weakens federal leverage. If the EU agrees to tax Texas LNG at 25% while letting CA wine flow tariff-free, that’s a direct attack on D.C.’s trade strategy.
     

3. Parallel Governance:

   • Notice the quiet rollout of CA’s “Office of Foreign Investment” last month. Or SB-1, which lets the state sue corporations aiding federal crackdowns. This isn’t just talk—it’s institutional scaffolding for autonomy.
     

On Reliability:

• You’re spot-on that CA can’t fully decouple from federal instability. But consider:
  

- Tech/Farm Dominance: Apple, Google, and Central Valley ag control global supply chains. Partners need CA exports, even if D.C. is chaotic.
- Policy Certainty: CA’s climate laws and labor standards offer predictability the feds lack. German automakers would rather bet on CA’s EV mandates than Trump’s flip-flopping.

The Real Test:
If Newsom backs this with action—say, letting CA ports prioritize “certified” exports (tech, green goods) over red-state commodities—it becomes a blueprint for fragmenting federal authority. Will it topple the regime? No. But it makes CA a safehouse for global capital amid U.S. chaos.

TL;DR: Same CA hustle, new stakes. This isn’t about novelty—it’s about weaponizing our existing clout in an existential fight.

[u/SharkSymphony → u/Kindly-Employer-6075]

ChatGPT, I'm guessing?

[u/Kindly-Employer-6075 → u/SharkSymphony]

No, I just like to use formatting. Became a habit since I started using Obsidian for note taking, and Reddit also does markdown formatting.

[u/SharkSymphony → u/Kindly-Employer-6075]

Ah, a fellow Obsidianite. I see.

Past trade missions were about economic growth. This is about political resistance. Newsom isn’t just selling almonds and Silicon Valley—he’s positioning CA as a diplomatic counterweight to a rogue federal government. That’s unprecedented, even for us.

Not entirely. Newsom's been making these kinds of grand – and largely symbolic – gestures going back to his San Francisco mayor days. And, of course, sometimes that defiance is well more than symbolic – the decision to issue marriage licenses to LGBT couples was revolutionary. In this case, though, I think it's more on the symbolic side.

But by lobbying for export exemptions, Newsom is essentially asking partners to treat CA as a customs-free zone within the U.S.—a carve-out that weakens federal leverage.

It would only be a customs-free zone if he could control import tariffs. But I'm not sure he's even trying to set up California as a middleman for exports. At least, if he is, that would maybe bring up some Commerce Clause challenges.

If the EU agrees to tax Texas LNG at 25% while letting CA wine flow tariff-free, that’s a direct attack on D.C.’s trade strategy.

I think that: 1) DC has no trade strategy here beyond "trade deficit bad, extracting concessions good." 2) Even if they had a strategy, they don't get to control which products a country chooses to place tariffs on. Indeed, a country would be advised to make their retaliation as painful on the administration as possible, so the more the administration yells about it, the more certain they can be that they're on the right track.

Notice the quiet rollout of CA’s “Office of Foreign Investment” last month. Or SB-1, which lets the state sue corporations aiding federal crackdowns. This isn’t just talk—it’s institutional scaffolding for autonomy.

Interesting.

Apple, Google, and Central Valley ag control global supply chains. Partners need CA exports, even if D.C. is chaotic.

I'm not sure what Apple and Google make that are in supply chains. Seems to me they export finished consumer items. Partners may well decide they need to keep CA produce cheap irrespective of Newsom's offer, but I suspect Mexico agriculture is going to benefit hugely from this trade war – even CA consumes a lot of Mexican produce, after all.

CA’s climate laws and labor standards offer predictability the feds lack. German automakers would rather bet on CA’s EV mandates than Trump’s flip-flopping.

That seems like an orthogonal issue to me.

If Newsom backs this with action—say, letting CA ports prioritize “certified” exports (tech, green goods) over red-state commodities—it becomes a blueprint for fragmenting federal authority.

There I think he would really be tripping on the Commerce Clause. States can't generally discriminate against out-of-state businesses, is my understanding.

[u/Thirty_Seventh → u/Kindly-Employer-6075]

Notice the quiet rollout of CA’s “Office of Foreign Investment” last month.

Turing test failed. Better luck next time!

[u/Kindly-Employer-6075 → u/UglyMcFugly]

You’re absolutely right to read between the lines here. Newsom’s statement isn’t just about tariffs—it’s a calculated escalation in the broader resistance playbook. By framing California as a “separate entity” and touting its GDP (larger than most nations), he’s laying groundwork for three critical objectives:

1. Economic Leverage: Redirecting retaliatory tariffs to red states could cripple industries in Trump/GOP strongholds (e.g., Texas oil, Iowa corn). This isn’t just about shielding California—it’s about weaponizing blue-state economic power to destabilize federal authority.

2. Diplomatic Precedent: Every handshake Newsom gets with foreign leaders chips away at the fiction of U.S. unity. If the EU starts treating CA like a quasi-state, it emboldens other regions (NY, WA) to follow suit. Suddenly, the feds aren’t negotiating with nations—they’re fighting 50 mini-diplomacies.

3. Narrative Warfare: “California is not DC” is a rallying cry for anti-authoritarian forces globally. It signals to allies that parts of America still align with democratic norms, isolating the regime while keeping CA plugged into institutions like the Paris Accords or WHO.

But here’s the catch: This only works if Newsom backs it with action. Does CA start licensing its ports to bypass federal customs? Create a state-run export credit agency? The real test is whether he treats this as symbolism or the first step toward functional autonomy.

Risks? The feds could blockade CA ports, sue to void state trade pacts, or ICE raids on “seditionist” officials. But in this hypothetical, that’s exactly what the resistance wants—overreach that exposes the regime’s brutality to the world.

TL;DR: This isn’t just posturing. It’s California strategizing against the rogue Fed—and the board is global.