On election day, one thing remains certain amidst life’s uncertainties: the sun will rise over the Sierra and set over the Pacific.
Donald Trump is set to face a significant defeat in California, with the outcome expected to be far from competitive.
In 2016, Hillary Clinton secured a resounding victory over Trump, defeating him by a significant margin of 25 percentage points. Fast forward to 2020, and Trump faced yet another defeat, this time at the hands of Joe Biden, who triumphed by an even greater margin of 29 percentage points.
Trump and California have a strained relationship, to say the least. If we were to rank the 50 states based on his personal feelings, it’s safe to say that California would be at the very bottom.
The animosity between the GOP nominee and Governor Gavin Newsom is mutual, and Trump’s portrayal of life in the Golden State makes it seem worse than the seventh circle of Hell.
During his visit to Coachella last weekend, Trump not only criticized California but also made a disturbing promise. If he were to be elected, he threatened to withhold federal disaster aid from the state and its 39 million residents.
This punishment would be implemented if California’s leaders refuse to allocate more water to farmers and cities, even if it meant harming the environment and denying others their fair share.
During a speech at his Rancho Palos Verdes golf course last summer, former President Trump directly targeted Newsom, issuing a threat that if he didn’t sign certain papers, he would not receive financial support to address the wildfires. Although the specific papers Trump was referring to were unclear, his strong-arm sentiment was evident.
According to Ken Khachigian, this reasoning is completely logical.
Khachigian commented that he believes the vice president aligns more with the far-left ideology. He also mentioned that Donald Trump, on the other hand, holds firm to the fundamental Republican values, which include advocating for lower taxes, limited government intervention, a tough stance on crime, a robust national defense, and a strong foreign policy.
According to him, the case for California voting for Donald Trump is based on those issues.
California’s Republican lawmakers won’t tolerate any attempts by President Trump to cut off disaster relief, according to Khachigian. He believes that Trump’s threats or potential blackmail are merely posturing, stating that it’s just Trump being himself.
According to Khachigian, there is no concern about Trump utilizing the National Guard or military to retaliate against political adversaries, such as California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, as Trump mentioned in a Fox News interview.
“We have implemented safeguards in our system to prevent any irrational actions,” Khachigian emphasized. He paused briefly before continuing, “Now, I’m not here to defend every single statement Trump has ever made throughout his life. We all know that people tend to exaggerate things at times. After all, exaggeration is a common element in the realm of politics.”
Mike Madrid has a unique perspective on things. As a former political director of the California Republican Party and co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, he brings a wealth of experience to the table. In addition, he recently released a book titled “The Latino Century,” which delves into the increasing influence of the largest ethnic voting group in the country.
According to Madrid, Californian voters should trust Trump’s words and take them seriously. Madrid emphasizes the importance of learning from history and looking at Trump’s past actions. Madrid specifically mentions that Trump has demonstrated his willingness to engage in political maneuvering when it comes to providing federal disaster assistance.
According to a recent report by Politico’s E&E News, the former president was occasionally openly partisan in his response to disasters and, on multiple occasions, hesitated to provide disaster aid to areas he perceived as politically hostile.
During a series of devastating wildfires in California in 2018, President Trump hesitated to approve disaster aid. However, Mark Harvey, who served as Trump’s senior director for resilience policy on the National Security Council staff, revealed that Trump eventually reconsidered his decision. It was only after being presented with 2016 election returns that showcased the substantial support he had received in Orange County, one of the affected areas, that Trump changed his mind.
Madrid pondered the possibility of “those adults [being] in the room” when Trump makes a comeback to the White House for a second term. The concern lies in whether the second administration will be driven by a sense of revenge and pettiness instead. Despite Trump giving in to pressure from some of the people around him, Madrid raises an important question about the future dynamics of his potential return to power.
Madrid emphasized the importance of taking public officials at their word, stating, “There’s something extremely irresponsible as a citizen to dismiss what a public official is saying by divining your own intent as to what that means or does not mean. All we can do is take people at their word. That’s what this whole system is based off of.”
During Trump’s first presidential campaign, a popular saying emerged, highlighting the contrasting perspectives between the media and his supporters. The media tended to interpret his words literally, while his supporters focused more on the underlying meaning and intentions behind his statements.
