Gov. Newsom Goes On International Interview Blitz Criticizing Trump and Tariffs

California Governor Gavin Newsom wrapped up several weeks worth of international interviews this week, defending his decision to have California work on separate trade deals with other countries, and blasting President Trump’s tariffs non-stop.

Ever since President Trump unveiled new global tariff amounts in early April, Governor Newsom has been a non-stop critic. He was amongst the first major critics of the tariffs, he attempted to have separate deals with countries affected by the tariffs, he has dedicated entire episodes of his podcast to the issue, has filed both a preliminary injunction and a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration over the tariffs, blamed California’s $12 billion debt on his “Trump slump” tariffs, and, more recently, he has done interviews with networks across the Globe on the tariffs.

The last one has been particularly unusual as Trump has continued to make international deals either getting rid of tariffs with other countries, or greatly reducing them. These included deals with close allies, like the United Kingdom, and with international rivals, including China. Others have outright refused similar deals, like the European Union. With Newsom’s tariff efforts crashing down, he nonetheless took interviews with international stations in the hopes of sticking out his tariff plans.

“Governor Gavin Newsom kicked off World Trade Month with a round of key international interviews with journalists from major broadcast networks in Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom,” said Newsom’s office on Friday. “In the interviews, Governor Newsom addressed the Trump Slump’s impact on the state’s economy and assured international partners that the harmful tariff policies from Washington, DC, are not reflective of the views of California.”

And how did the interviews go? Here are the highlights, starting with the BBC (UK):

“The impacts of these tariffs – the recklessness of these tariffs – are disproportionately felt on the tentpole of the U.S. economy. We’re 14% of the U.S. economy, so the success of this country is, in many respects, determined by the success of this state,” said Newsom. “California exported $5 billion in goods to the United Kingdom in 2024 – making it the state’s 12th largest export market.”

CTV (Canada):

“Forget Trump’s golden age of success. From our ports to our shopping carts to vacation hotspots, the Trump Slump has already begun. American families shouldn’t have to pay for this administration’s chaotic policies.”

Nikkei (Japan):

“California is a stable trading partner. When it comes to trade, we come with an open hand, not a clenched fist. Japan is California’s second largest source of foreign investment.”

TV Azteca (Mexico):

“California is now the fourth largest economy in the world. No state has been more affected by these tariffs than California. The effects are being felt in real time. We are seeing reductions in cargo at our entry ports.”

MBC (South Korea):

“Partnerships, both personally and professionally, are critical to the world we want to build. Your success is our success. This is not a zero-sum game. California exported $8.8 billion worth of goods to South Korea in 2024, making it the state’s sixth largest export market.”

Every single time, Newsom was pleading for a state trade deal, while also pointing out how big California is as a trading partner, how big California’s economy is, and saying “Trump slump” as much as possible.

However, time is quickly running out for Newsom. Trump has ramped up the number of tariff deals since the beginning of the month, even wrapping up several on his Middle East visit this week. Newsom’s BBC interview came just before the UK decided to go with making a deal with Trump over Newsom. Hopes to inspire countries to have deals with California are simply evaporating, as may, like Canada, are ending retaliatory tariffs.

Newsom’s month-and-a-half of rallying against Trump has resulted in no trade deals and just a lot of political posturing. Newsom is likely going to be using “Trump slump” for awhile in speeches. But on the outside of it all, all Newsom did was grab attention.

And with Newsom currently at 5% support amongst Democrats likely running for President in 2028, in a distant 5th place, he needed international posturing against Trump. Right now, it doesn’t appear to have worked out so well.