r/politics • u/sweatycat New York • 1d ago

California to Negotiate Trade With Other Countries to Bypass Trump Tariffs

https://www.newsweek.com/california-newsom-trade-trump-tariffs-2055414
92.0k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

6.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

424

u/Axin_Saxon 1d ago

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.”

131

u/SharkSymphony 1d ago

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.

38

u/UglyMcFugly 1d ago

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.

3

u/Kindly-Employer-6075 19h ago

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.