With the new Trump presidency, California is facing the fight of our lives

Donald Trump has clearly won another term as president, and in perhaps the most impressive part of this election, it wasn't even that close.

As California awakens to a new era of Trump power, we also realize that the majority of Americans do not share the values ​​that this state holds dear: the ideas of equality; of respect for all people and our planet; a rejection of racism and misogyny; out of a desire to advance civil rights rather than roll them back in the name of Christianity.

Trump not only won the Electoral College, but also the popular vote, something he failed to do in his last victory. Trump has gained support despite (or as I'm beginning to see, because of) his vicious and repressive promises.

America made it clear in the elections: This strong man is what they want. This is us now.

The so-called blue wall of Midwestern states that brought Joe Biden to the White House collapsed, as did most of the swing states that Democrats had banked on.

And then there is the Senate, where Republicans have also taken control. The House of Representatives is up in the air, but it could also go MAGA. And of course, Trump already appears to be in charge of the Supreme Court.

However, America is facing not just another Trump term, but a second Trump presidency in which he may exert control over all branches of government, giving him an exponentially greater level of power than the first time around. Trump will try to impose an agenda of international isolationism and domestic repression on us.

First and foremost, this was a free and fair election. Trump was elected by the will of the people, and democracy demands that we accept that.

But the next four years will be a test of these California ideals and how committed we truly are to them – because if we want to preserve them, we must fight for them.

And as hard as it is for this bright blue, democracy-loving everyman to come to terms with our government becoming authoritarian overnight, we must stand up and prepare for this fight.

The most disturbing promise Trump has made is that he will immediately begin massive deportations of undocumented immigrants. With more than 10 million undocumented people living in California – many parents in blended families – this could have devastating social and economic consequences.

Many immigration groups have already developed plans to protect our hard-working neighbors and prevent family separation.

But immigration is ultimately a federal matter and a place where the state has few powers to stop deportations. Trump will likely crack down on sanctuary cities and states this time, perhaps even deploying the National Guard to help with his plans.

How California and Californians respond to this deportation may be our first and most troubling challenge.

But it won't be the only one. Despite our commitment to reproductive rights, Trump does not need to pass a nationwide abortion ban to limit access to the procedure. He just needs to invoke the existing Comstock Act, which would make the transportation of abortion drugs illegal, or even put someone like, say, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in charge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which Republicans have long opposed want to make approvals for such drugs.

And then there will be the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, which goes far beyond Trump's promise to continue scapegoating transgender people. Although Californians just passed Proposition 3 on Tuesday night, repealing a ban on same-sex marriage and instead making it a “fundamental right,” it's not too far-fetched that MAGA will follow the Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell decision, which made gay marriage legal. Undermining this ruling could undermine the validity of LGBTQ+ marriage at the federal level and in other states and potentially strip away the rights that come with marriage, except in partnerships between a biological man and a biological woman.

There are more fights than this, but how much can we take at once? So I'll stop.

The point is that even with an authoritarian with unprecedented power in the White House, California can still fight — California must fight.

And as much as no one, including me, wants to think about another election, this is also the morning that Californians should start thinking about who will be our next governor and our next attorney general. Because in 2026 we will elect new leaders who will need determination and skill.

Right now, Gov. Gavin Newsom has the unenviable task of trying to simultaneously appease and combat Trump — just as he tried to do during the first Trump presidency.

While I don't doubt he has many good reasons for leading this fight, Newsom also has a personal one: It's highly unlikely that Kamala Harris will come back for another run.

That means the field is wide open for Democrats and Newsom has a new window to run for the nomination in 2028 himself. So expect him to spend his remaining time in office building his reputation in response to Trump's actions.

California also used the courts last time to roll back Trump's policies, including on immigration and emissions. This was largely done under the direction of then-Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, who was appointed to the post after the election of Kamala Harris to the U.S. Senate (and has hinted at a possible run for governor). The state has filed more than 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration, and while it hasn't stopped its policies, it has at least tied them up in court.

This time, Rob Bonta (who may also have ambitions to become governor) holds that office and has already stated that he too has plans to combat Trump policies.

Our leaders will certainly fight with this White House. But ultimately they will only fight as hard and for as long as their voters want them to.

So this is our fight as Californians.

It is up to us to protect what now seems just a California dream – that all people have the right to pursue life, liberty and even happiness – in the hope that we will one day restore this belief as the American dream can.