Trump Attacks Newsom Over Death Penalty Move: ‘Disaster for Justice’

U.S.NewsPoliticsAI PoliticsTechFact CheckSportsGlobalIran WarRussia-UkraineMiddle EastChina And AsiaLive BlogBetter PlanetAll World NewsLifestyleFamily & ParentingEntertainmentTravelPetsAutomotiveRelationshipsScienceHealthPersonal FinanceBetter WorkplacesReaders ChoiceOpinionMy TurnAll OpinionRankingsHealthCorporate ResponsibilityFinanceProductsEducationWorkAll RankingsWatchThe 1600The Royal ReportUnconventionalFrom The PaddockNewsmakersSocialFacebookInstagramYouTubeRedditTikTokTwitter/XExtraNewslettersDare to DreamEventsEssaysPodcastsVantageInsightsMagazineCEO CircleAnnouncementsLeadershipDev Pragad President Donald Trump on Saturday attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to commute hundreds of death sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, calling the move a “disaster for Justice in America.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump argued the Democratic governor's decision disregarded victims' families and prevented the legal process from running its course. “Gavin Newscum’s halting the Death Penalty for all 563 California Death Row inmates, some of the worst cold blooded murderers to have ever lived on the face of the Earth, is a disaster for Justice in America,” Trump wrote, citing a figure that does not match the 548 intended recipients identified by Newsom's office. "Many of these names, people who have killed, over and over again, can’t believe their luck in having a Governor so incompetent and insensitive that he would not let the long and winding legal system prevail," the president continued. "The family members of those who were so viciously killed are, rightfully, devastated. Hopefully this decision will be overturned!" Newsweek reached out to Newsom's office by email Saturday for comment. Details of the California Clemency Plan Newsom announced Nov. 5 that he intends to commute the death sentences of 548 people—529 men and 19 women—to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. If approved by the California Supreme Court, it would be the largest mass commutation of death sentences in U.S. history and would reduce the national death-row population by nearly 30 percent. The action goes further than the execution moratorium Newsom imposed in 2019, which paused executions while leaving death sentences intact. Under the new plan, no one would be released, pardoned or made eligible for parole. Underlying convictions and restitution orders would remain unchanged, and prosecutors would still be able to seek capital punishment in future cases. California has not carried out an execution since January 17, 2006, though state voters rejected ballot measures to repeal the death penalty in 2012 and 2016. Newsom described life without parole as “the most severe punishment I can lawfully impose and the state of California can ethically enforce,” adding: “These offenders will die in prison but not by our hand.” The commutations have not yet taken effect because required legal steps remain. Under the California Constitution, a governor must obtain a recommendation from at least four justices of the state's Supreme Court before granting clemency to anyone with more than one felony conviction—a requirement that applies to 382 of the 548 individuals. Newsom, who is term-limited, has asked the court to act by the end of this year so he can complete the process before leaving office in January. Reaction From Victims and Justice Officials The clemency plan has drawn mixed reactions from victims' relatives, with some supporting the end of death sentences and others opposing it. Newsom’s office said it is working to notify victims and next of kin, and the governor has acknowledged that survivors hold different views about the issue. On Thursday, the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation (CJLF) held a press conference with victims' families and prosecutors from across the state and said they plan to file "every legal challenge available" before the California Supreme Court. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office also plans to help challenge Newsom’s blanket commutation, saying in a statement: “We stand firmly with the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation in challenging this arbitrary commutation that sidelines victims’ families and disregards the will of California voters, juries and judges. When we bring these cases on behalf of victims’ families, we make a promise to them that if they let the justice system do its job and don’t take justice into their own hands, we will let the facts and the law play out in a courtroom. And if the facts and the law justify the ultimate penalty, that is the penalty we will seek.” Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche criticized Newsom’s decision during an unrelated Justice Department briefing on Thursday, calling the move “unfortunate” and comparing it to former President Joe Biden's December 23, 2024, commutation of 37 of the 40 federal death-row inmates. “That happened during the end of President Biden’s administration as well,” Blanche told reporters. “He commuted the sentences of a lot of federal guys on death row. Not all of them, but a lot of them. It’s unfortunate.” While acknowledging that state law differs from federal law and that most governors hold clemency authority, Blanche said he agreed with Trump on the necessity of capital punishment for certain crimes. “I think that President Trump has talked a lot about the need for capital punishment, especially with certain types of crimes and certain types of murder,” Blanche said. “And I very much agree with President Trump on that.” He added: “I feel badly for the families, the victims, the families of the victims that had justice served, according to the laws, and now have a different result.” Broader Debate and Ongoing Feud The clash marks the latest flashpoint in a yearslong feud between Trump and Newsom. The two have repeatedly sparred over wildfire management and federal disaster aid—notably during the 2018 California wildfires and the January 2025 Los Angeles-area fires, when Trump called for Newsom to resign and Newsom accused the president of politicizing the crisis. Tensions also flared in June 2025 over Trump's deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles during immigration enforcement protests. The dispute also unfolds amid renewed national scrutiny over capital punishment following the failed September 30 execution of Tennessee death-row inmate Christa Pike. During that attempt, officials halted the lethal injection process after hours of delays and a last-minute court challenge; Pike received two doses of pentobarbital and required medical treatment after surviving. Emergency 911 recordings later revealed confusion between prison staff and dispatchers, delaying first responders' entry into Riverbend Maximum Security Institution for roughly 30 minutes before Pike was returned to death row. Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.10Loading video…By Hollie SilvermanNews Editor

0ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.President Donald Trump on Saturday attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to commute hundreds of death sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, calling the move a “disaster for Justice in America.”

In a post on Truth Social, Trump argued the Democratic governor’s decision disregarded victims’ families and prevented the legal process from running its course.

“Gavin Newscum’s halting the Death Penalty for all 563 California Death Row inmates, some of the worst cold blooded murderers to have ever lived on the face of the Earth, is a disaster for Justice in America,” Trump wrote, citing a figure that does not match the 548 intended recipients identified by Newsom’s office.

“Many of these names, people who have killed, over and over again, can’t believe their luck in having a Governor so incompetent and insensitive that he would not let the long and winding legal system prevail,” the president continued. “The family members of those who were so viciously killed are, rightfully, devastated. Hopefully this decision will be overturned!”

Newsweek reached out to Newsom’s office by email Saturday for comment.

Newsom announced Nov. 5 that he intends to commute the death sentences of 548 people—529 men and 19 women—to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. If approved by the California Supreme Court, it would be the largest mass commutation of death sentences in U.S. history and would reduce the national death-row population by nearly 30 percent.

The action goes further than the execution moratorium Newsom imposed in 2019, which paused executions while leaving death sentences intact. Under the new plan, no one would be released, pardoned or made eligible for parole. Underlying convictions and restitution orders would remain unchanged, and prosecutors would still be able to seek capital punishment in future cases. California has not carried out an execution since January 17, 2006, though state voters rejected ballot measures to repeal the death penalty in 2012 and 2016.

Newsom described life without parole as “the most severe punishment I can lawfully impose and the state of California can ethically enforce,” adding: “These offenders will die in prison but not by our hand.”

The commutations have not yet taken effect because required legal steps remain. Under the California Constitution, a governor must obtain a recommendation from at least four justices of the state’s Supreme Court before granting clemency to anyone with more than one felony conviction—a requirement that applies to 382 of the 548 individuals. Newsom, who is term-limited, has asked the court to act by the end of this year so he can complete the process before leaving office in January.

Related StoryWhere California’s Next Governor Stands On Death PenaltyReaction From Victims and Justice OfficialsThe clemency plan has drawn mixed reactions from victims’ relatives, with some supporting the end of death sentences and others opposing it. Newsom’s office said it is working to notify victims and next of kin, and the governor has acknowledged that survivors hold different views about the issue.

On Thursday, the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation (CJLF) held a press conference with victims’ families and prosecutors from across the state and said they plan to file “every legal challenge available” before the California Supreme Court.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office also plans to help challenge Newsom’s blanket commutation, saying in a statement: “We stand firmly with the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation in challenging this arbitrary commutation that sidelines victims’ families and disregards the will of California voters, juries and judges. When we bring these cases on behalf of victims’ families, we make a promise to them that if they let the justice system do its job and don’t take justice into their own hands, we will let the facts and the law play out in a courtroom. And if the facts and the law justify the ultimate penalty, that is the penalty we will seek.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche criticized Newsom’s decision during an unrelated Justice Department briefing on Thursday, calling the move “unfortunate” and comparing it to former President Joe Biden’s December 23, 2024, commutation of 37 of the 40 federal death-row inmates.

“That happened during the end of President Biden’s administration as well,” Blanche told reporters. “He commuted the sentences of a lot of federal guys on death row. Not all of them, but a lot of them. It’s unfortunate.”

While acknowledging that state law differs from federal law and that most governors hold clemency authority, Blanche said he agreed with Trump on the necessity of capital punishment for certain crimes.

“I think that President Trump has talked a lot about the need for capital punishment, especially with certain types of crimes and certain types of murder,” Blanche said. “And I very much agree with President Trump on that.”

He added: “I feel badly for the families, the victims, the families of the victims that had justice served, according to the laws, and now have a different result.”

The clash marks the latest flashpoint in a yearslong feud between Trump and Newsom. The two have repeatedly sparred over wildfire management and federal disaster aid—notably during the 2018 California wildfires and the January 2025 Los Angeles-area fires, when Trump called for Newsom to resign and Newsom accused the president of politicizing the crisis. Tensions also flared in June 2025 over Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles during immigration enforcement protests.

The dispute also unfolds amid renewed national scrutiny over capital punishment following the failed September 30 execution of Tennessee death-row inmate Christa Pike. During that attempt, officials halted the lethal injection process after hours of delays and a last-minute court challenge; Pike received two doses of pentobarbital and required medical treatment after surviving. Emergency 911 recordings later revealed confusion between prison staff and dispatchers, delaying first responders’ entry into Riverbend Maximum Security Institution for roughly 30 minutes before Pike was returned to death row.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.