California Gov. Gavin Newsom goes ‘all in’ against Trump: “You are playing with fire”
Florida – California Governor Gavin Newsom has made one of his sharpest attacks on former President Donald Trump yet. He said that Republican-led redistricting efforts in places like Florida and Texas might lead to an equally strong response from California, the most populous state in the country. Newsom wrote to Trump on Monday and said, “You are playing with fire.” He accused the GOP of trying to change congressional districts to win the House in the 2026 midterms.
His comments come at a time when Republican-controlled states are speeding up mid-decade redistricting, which is a strange and very controversial action, to give themselves a political edge before next year’s elections. Florida and Texas have both decided to redesign their maps, even though they did so after the 2020 census. Missouri and other Republican states are thinking about doing the same thing.
House Speaker Daniel Perez of Florida recently set up a Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting. This is the official start of a process that Democrats say is similar to what Texas Republicans are doing to try to get as many as five additional seats. President Trump has told Republican members to act quickly and get those seats, which he says are “deserved,” so that Republicans can keep control of the House.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who oversaw the state’s current map in 2022, has signaled full support, citing rapid population changes and “malapportioned” districts as justification. Critics counter that the proposed changes will further erode minority representation and deepen partisan imbalance.
Newsom’s message to Trump was unambiguous: if Republicans push ahead, California will retaliate.
“If you will not stand down, I will be forced to lead an effort to redraw the maps in California,” he wrote, adding that his state could “neutralize any gains” the GOP hopes to make. While California already leans heavily Democratic, the governor suggested that targeted adjustments could yield additional seats for his party.
In a video posted to social media, Newsom sharpened his tone. “We’re not going to sit back and watch you light democracy on fire,” he said. “We will fight fire with fire.”
The governor framed the GOP’s redistricting strategy as a direct threat to democratic stability, calling it “an affront to American democracy” and warning that California Democrats are ready to act if Republicans do not abandon their plans.
The stakes are really high. California has the most congressional representatives in the country, with 52 House seats. Robert Rivas, the Speaker of the State Assembly, has already said that Democrats will support a redistricting plan if Republicans go forward with it. They hope to gain up to five more seats as a result. That would go against what the GOP is trying to do in Texas and Florida, where mid-decade redraws could otherwise give Republicans an advantage in the national balance.
Traditionally, congressional districts are redrawn once every ten years, following the census. Changes in the middle of a cycle are rare, always controversial, and typically challenged in court. But changes in population, migration trends, and partisan dominance are causing another round of political map disputes, making redistricting a tool for short-term electoral gain.
Read also: Trump is in ‘silent war’ with DeSantis and Florida Governor’s hands are tied
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas wants to modify things so that Democratic districts become Republican ones. This might help the GOP keep its grip on power. Democratic members have strongly opposed the measure, and some have even left the state to stop a vote. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the FBI to find them and threatened to jail them.
In the meantime, people in Florida who are against the state’s mid-decade maps are getting ready for a judicial fight. Civil rights groups say that the current plan already made it harder for minorities to have their voices heard by breaking up a district in North Florida that was mostly Black. They say that any more modifications would make things worse.
The dispute over district lines is becoming one of the most highly watched political fights in the country as the 2026 elections get closer. For Newsom, it’s also a chance to strengthen his position as a top national voice in the Democratic Party and maybe even lay the groundwork for his own political goals outside of California.
In his warning to Trump, Newsom left no doubt about his willingness to escalate the battle.
