We’ll Fight to the Death’: Democratic Governors Plan War Against Trump

Democratic governors across the country are gearing up to challenge President-elect Donald Trump’s second-term agenda, one of them vowing a fight “to the death.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy told reporters on Wednesday that his team had recently held a meeting to “war game” the prospect of a second Trump presidency.
New Jersey would be “willing to try anything if it’s contrary to our values,” Murphy said when asked about what the state would do to counter Trump’s sweeping proposals for a second term, including mass deportations.
“If it’s contrary to our values, we’ll fight to the death,” he said. “If there is an opportunity for common ground, we’ll seize that as fast as anybody.”
Those comments came after Trump triumphed over Vice President Kamala Harris to win a second term in the White House on November 5. Harris urged her supporters to continue fighting for democracy in a concession speech on Wednesday afternoon that mentioned the word “fight” almost 20 times.
Trump said the election results had delivered an “unprecedented and powerful mandate” for Republicans. And with Republicans winning control of the Senate and possibly also retaining control of the House, Trump could have little resistance in Congress to his second-term agenda that includes more hard-line immigration polices and rolling back protections for LGBTQ+ citizens.
Across the country, several Democratic leaders have spoken of their preparations to safeguard their states’ values during Trump’s second term.
Newsweek has contacted Democratic governors and Trump’s team for comment via email.
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday called for lawmakers to convene a special session to bolster the state’s legal resources to protect civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action and immigrant families.
“The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack—and we won’t sit idle,” Newsom said in a statement. “California faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond.”
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who filed dozens of lawsuits against Trump as the state’s attorney general during his first term, has said that she expects litigation will be filed if Trump proceeds with plans for mass deportations.
“There’s going to be a lot of pressure on states and state officials, and I can assure you, we’re going to work really hard to deliver. I’m sure there may be litigation ahead,” she said on MSNBC.
“Every tool in the toolbox has got to be used to protect our citizens, to protect our residents and protect our states, and certainly to hold the line on democracy.”
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who has just been elected governor of the state, told reporters on Thursday that his team has spent the past year preparing for the possibility of a Trump victory.
He said he has talked to other Democratic attorneys general across the country and appointed his successor, Attorney General-elect Nick Brown, as a special assistant attorney general so he can be briefed on legal strategies before taking office.
Ferguson said he did not want to provide specific details about actions that might be taken, but that he was particularly concerned about the incoming Trump administration limiting access to abortion and birth control, eliminating or weakening the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and removing protections for LGBTQ+ residents.
He pointed to successful litigation his office pursued during Trump’s first term, including a challenge of Trump’s ban on travel from several mostly Muslim countries.
Litigation is an “important tool for challenging federal actions that we believe are illegal or unconstitutional and keeping the administration accountable to the rule,” Ferguson said, adding that his team defeated 55 policies and actions during Trump’s first term.
Across the county in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul has convened a task force—called the Empire State Freedom Initiative—to “develop strategies for protecting New Yorkers from a variety of policy and regulatory threats that could emerge under President-elect Trump.”
It will focus on key areas “where New York State and New Yorkers are most likely to face threats including reproductive rights, civil rights, immigration, gun safety, and the environment, among other issues,” her office said in a press release.
“I’m committed to working with anyone on policies that make our state stronger, safer and more livable—but my administration will also be prepared to protect New Yorkers’ fundamental freedoms from any potential threats,” Hochul said in a statement.