Newsom mocks – California Gov. Gavin Newsom struck back Sunday night at President Donald Trump’s latest, unproven accusations that last week’s California primary elections were “cheated” in races Trump endorsed. The dispute comes as California’s vote-counting process continu
For a governor who has spent the past year defending California’s elections from Washington-style conspiracy language, Gavin Newsom’s patience looked thin — and then it snapped into a direct response.
On Sunday night, Newsom hit back at President Donald Trump after Trump posted fresh claims on Truth Social. Trump alleged, without evidence, that two candidates he endorsed were being “cheated” as California continued counting votes from last week’s primary elections.
Newsom’s reaction landed in the middle of a process that California critics often rush to misunderstand. California is notoriously slow in counting election votes, driven in part by the state’s reliance on mail-in ballots. Those ballots must be postmarked by Election Day. but they can arrive up to a week later and still be counted. So the numbers don’t settle all at once — and that delay has long been fertile ground for accusations.
Trump’s new round of claims didn’t arrive out of nowhere. The pattern dates back to his first major campaign: in 2016, after losing Iowa, Trump claimed voter fraud. He made a similar case again after a later loss. saying in reference to Ted Cruz that “Ted Cruz didn’t win Iowa. he illegally stole it. ” and adding that “Based on the fraud committed by Senator Ted Cruz during the Iowa Caucus. either a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified.”.
He has repeated the same framing ever since — most infamously after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden.
Last week, Trump extended that approach to the 2024 election math. He said he believed an “honest count” would show he “probably” won all 50 states in 2024. The confidence was not matched with proof.
In California, he also escalated the political theater into a federal-threat posture. Last week, Trump said the California primary would be under investigation by the Justice Department. Federal prosecutors confirmed the following day that the investigation message was real.
Even as legal questions hover, the race numbers themselves are still shifting under California’s mail-ballot timeline. In the gubernatorial race to replace Newsom. recent polls showed Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra with an edge over Republican Steve Hilton. with Democratic candidate Tom Steyer in third place. As of now. that’s where the race stands — though there is a possibility that Steyer could leapfrog Hilton for second place.
Newsom is termed out and can’t seek reelection, but he has been considering a run for president in 2028.
The mayor’s contest in Los Angeles remains similarly unsettled. In the nonpartisan race, incumbent Karen Bass has led most recent polls. For second place, the contest has been tight between Trump-backed reality TV star Spencer Pratt and city councilmember Nithya Raman. Pratt was in second place early on, but as the count progressed, he fell behind Raman.
The stakes are high even before November because of California’s “jungle primary” system. In both races, the top two finishers will run against each other in November’s election, regardless of party. That means a late shuffle in standings doesn’t just change bragging rights — it can set the matchup voters face.
Standing behind all of it is the tension Trump keeps turning into a story: a belief that when he or his preferred candidates don’t win. the count must be dishonest. The push now has landed again in California’s unfinished vote tally — just as the state’s own rules are designed to keep counting going. ballot by ballot. through the days after Election Day.
For Newsom, the timing couldn’t be worse for the kind of accusation Trump is using. For voters, it may be familiar: a state that takes its time tabulating mail-in ballots, and a president who treats that delay like a verdict.
Gavin Newsom Donald Trump Truth Social California primary mail-in ballots Xavier Becerra Steve Hilton Tom Steyer Los Angeles mayoral race Karen Bass Spencer Pratt Nithya Raman jungle primary Justice Department investigation
So basically Trump said “cheated” again? Shocking.
I don’t get it, the votes take forever because they mail stuff, but then people act surprised when it’s not instant. Either way if Trump says cheated there has to be a reason right?
Newsom “struck back” like that makes it less suspicious? Like if your elections are legit why so snappy. Also wait, they count votes a week later… isn’t that how they sneak in stuff? I’m not saying it’s true I’m just saying that’s what it sounds like.
Truth Social rumors vs mail ballot counting, cool cool. They always say it’s slow counting but then when it’s good for them it’s “process,” when it’s bad it’s “fraud.” I saw a clip where Trump was talking about Iowa and Ted Cruz and it’s like the same thing just California now. At this point I’m just tired of hearing both sides act like they’re the only ones telling the truth.