During Lawrence O’Donnell’s breakdown of President Donald Trump efforts to avoid questions about Jeffrey Epstein, an issue that has weakened his approval rating among Americans, the “Last Word” host praised California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s for fighting back against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Trump-orchestrated redistricting war, saying the politician is doing exactly what needs to be done.
“This is what fighting Donald Trump looks like,” O’Donnell said during his latest segment of the “The Last Word” on MSNBC. “Gavin Newsom and California Democrats have found a way to fight Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy by using democracy against Donald Trump. The biggest state in the union, the richest state in the union has finally been provoked to show Donald Trump just how much power the state has.”
He continued: “Gavin Newsom is now leading California to the rescue of the United States of America, to the rescue of Democracy in America. And today, Gavin Newsom showed millions of people who have been feeling powerless, millions of Californians who voted for the California candidate for president in the last election, that they still have power.”
As Trump continues to evade questions surrounding his relationship to the child sex offender and financier, his likability among Americans has continued to decline at the polls. O’Donnell said the president seeking to gain the Republican House seats is just a strategy Trump’s using to ensure he doesn’t get booted out of the Oval Office during the 2026 midterm elections.
“It is at this low point in Donald Trump’s public support that he has chosen to try to rig Congressional districts in Texas to give Republicans five move Republican seats in the House of Representatives so that Donald Trump can guarantee that Republicans will control the House of Representatives, and he won’t be impeached by the House of Representatives during this term of his presidency,” O’Donnell explained.
O’Donnell went on to explain that Newsom’s move brings new power to the California voter. California has always reigned blue during presidential elections, and despite it being one of the top three largest states in the country, the voting power has hardly no impact on deciding who the next commander-in-chief will be. However, as O’Donnell explains, Newsom’s redistricting mission puts power back into California voters’ hands as they will be able to vote on his “Election Rigging Response Act,” which in turn, if voted in, will grant the Democratic-controlled legislature more power and ultimately pave the way for Trump to potentially be voted out.
“The voters of California can feel left out in presidential elections,” O’Donnell said. “The candidates never bothered to campaign in California because everyone knows how California is going to vote in a presidential election. California doesn’t have the power to turn the election one way or another the way much smaller states like neighboring Arizona do. Voting in California in a presidential election can be an exercise in dutiful civic frustration. Carrying out your civic duty, knowing it won’t make a difference when you’re watching the election returns that night. Today, California Gov. Gavin Newsom changed all that. Today, Gavin Newsom told California voters they hold in their hands the power to break Donald Trump’s grip.”
