California vs. Trump
Donald Trump lost in a landslide. In California. Elsewhere, it was a different story. But only about 30 percent of Californians cast their vote for Trump. In Los Angeles County, 22 percent. In San Francisco County, not even 10 percent.
So what happens now? California is not Wyoming. (No offense to Wyoming, it’s beautiful.) California is home to nearly one in eight Americans. It’s the world’s sixth-largest economy. Secession talk in the immediate aftermath of the election was nonsense — there will be no Calexit. But on issues from immigration and climate change to trade, criminal justice, and health care, California and the White House have never stood so far apart.
President Trump and the Republican leadership in the House and the Senate have promised radical change. Before Trump took office, even before the sun rose on his first day as president-elect, California’s Democratic leaders began preparing for confrontations over the future of the state and the country. It’s unclear how any of this will end. These are unprecedented times. But if any state can fight Washington and win, it’s California.
This month’s cover story debuts something new for us — a series. We begin with the first hours of the Trump era and look ahead to the battles to come. We will follow this story as it unfolds.
Douglas McGray
editor in chief