California Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed shock Tuesday at eight senators who broke with their party to end the historic government shutdown, warning that Democrats are not sufficiently alarmed by President Donald Trump’s political maneuvers.
According to The Associated Press, Newsom said during an interview at the COP30 UN Climate Conference in Brazil that he was “stunned” that those eight Democratic senators want to work with those across the aisle.
“I’m not coming in to punch anybody in the face, but I’m not pleased that, in the face of this invasive species that is Donald Trump, who’s completely changed the rules of the game, that we’re still playing by the old rules of the game,” Newsom said.
The criticism targeted seven Democrats and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, for joining Republicans in the Senate late Monday to pass legislation reopening the government.
The deal ended the longest shutdown in U.S. history but drew sharp rebuke from some Democratic leaders who said the senators had caved to the GOP without securing long-term extensions of health care subsidies set to expire Jan. 1.
Before the procedural vote to advance the overall funding package, Newsom’s office took to X, writing, “Pathetic. This isn’t a deal. It’s a surrender. Don’t bend the knee!” After the senators voted with Republicans, he called their actions “capitulation and a betrayal of working Americans.”
Several of the defecting senators are retiring next year or are former governors. Some acknowledged the deal was imperfect but necessary to end the shutdown, which had disrupted paychecks, food assistance, and federal travel services for millions.
When asked about his efforts to counter Trump, including his social media presence and last week’s passage of California House maps designed to counter Trump-backed gerrymandering efforts elsewhere, Newsom said he remains committed to acting more decisively than others in his party.
“I’m really more alarmed than it appears the eight members of my party are in the United States Senate,” Newsom said. “I’m much more alarmed about the future of our country and the world we’re trying to build than they are.”
While the Trump administration did not send a delegation to COP30, Newsom, representing the world’s fourth-largest economy, is expected to meet with officials from multiple nations attending the conference.
