California Governor Blasts Trump Over Iran Strikes

(MENAFN) California Governor Gavin Newsom launched a blistering broadside against President Donald Trump on Monday, charging that the administration’s military actions against Iran are putting American lives in jeopardy while eroding the nation’s core national security interests.

“We have to reconcile why our bombs were used or Israeli bombs were used to kill children, young girls, at a school and what the imminent threat was; it hasn’t been described,” Newsom said.

The governor trained his fire not only on the military campaign itself but on the domestic trade-offs he says are funding it, arguing that critical social programs are being gutted to bankroll an unauthorized conflict.

“We cut taxes for billionaires, we cut behavioral funding, cut healthcare funding, cut food stamps to fund a war that no one wants and was never approved by Congress, increasing the costs on everyone,” he added.

No AIPAC Ties
In remarks that carried unmistakable presidential undertones, Newsom also moved to firmly separate himself from pro-Israel political money — stating categorically that the influential lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has played no role in his political career.

“They have never been involved with me. I’ve never received a dollar from them in my entire political career. That’s sort of absolutely,” he said. “I don’t take tobacco money, oil money, and I’ve never taken AIPAC money. There are certain absolutes that are the lines that have been drawn for decades for me.”

AIPAC, which draws heavily from ultra-wealthy donors and cultivates bipartisan support across Congress, was joined by Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) on Newsom’s list of Israel-aligned groups from which he said he has never accepted funds.

The California governor’s pointed critique of Trump’s foreign policy, combined with his deliberate distancing from AIPAC, is likely to fuel further speculation that Newsom is laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential run — a prospect widely anticipated in Washington political circles.

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