Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) called President Donald Trump a “punch-drunk boxer” for increasing his global tariff rate to 15% in response to the Supreme Court’s rejection of his staple economic tool.
Trump initially implemented a 10% worldwide tariff on Friday before adding another 5% to the rate a day later. In a landmark decision issued Friday, the Supreme Court determined the president unlawfully invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Seeking to circumvent the ruling, Trump said he would rely on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to justify his new tariffs.
Newsom knocked the unpredictable nature of Trump’s tariff policy.
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“The whole thing is a farce,” the Democratic governor said in a Sunday morning appearance on CNN’s State of the Union. “I talk about petulance. It was 10% two days ago, maybe 20% tomorrow. I mean, this is madness. He’s flailing. He’s a punch-drunk boxer. He’s just trying to hit anything, a shadow, and he’s a shadow of himself. He’s lost a step or two.”
California was the first state to sue the Trump administration over its IEEPA tariffs, Newsom noted.
The state’s lawsuit was later dismissed by a federal court because the trade dispute belonged in the U.S. Court of International Trade, which struck down Trump’s tariffs last May. The tariff issue was then brought before the Supreme Court, leading to its latest decision.
Following the ruling, California urged the Trump administration to immediately issue refund checks for the burden that tariffs placed on residents and businesses in the state.
“He needs to return that money. He needs to refund that money with interest. He can do that in a nanosecond” through an electronic payment system, Newsom told CNN about what Trump ought to do in light of the ruling.
The governor went on criticizing Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for “wrecking” the U.S. economy, citing an annual rate of 1.4% GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2025 and a 3% inflation rate last fall. The current inflation rate is 2.4%.
Newsom also made the case that Trump is using tariffs to expand his “personal portfolio,” pointing to a trade deal in which Vietnam agreed to let the Trump Organization build a $1.5 billion golf course and residential project on Vietnamese land. In exchange, the United States lowered tariffs on Vietnam to 20%.
“This is a self-dealing operation,” he said. “This is unprecedented grift happening in real time. That’s reflected in what just happened with the tariff decision in the Supreme Court. It was a profound moment for this administration.”
Newsom made the remarks while promoting his memoir, set for release on Tuesday. The governor, whose term ends next January, is a possible Democratic presidential contender for 2028, but he has not yet announced whether he will run for the White House.
