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Dem leaders’ illegal effort to undermine Trump’s tariffs

By:

“On the Holmes Front” with Frank Holmes

President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs have left Chinese Communists scrambling, markets in chaos, and Democrats feeling more isolated, irrelevant, and bent on revenge than ever before.

The Left is so desperate to make sure President Trump’s tariffs don’t give U.S. workers more money that they’ve sunken into downright illegal actions to try to sabotage his agenda.

Democratic states are cozying up to foreign dictators and trying to hammer out their own foreign trade deals, in thorough violation of the U.S. Constitution.

The man leading the charge is California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who also hopes to lead the party in the 2028 presidential race.

But far from leading, Newsom released a video asking—practically begging—foreign nations, when they jack up prices for the other 49 states through higher tariffs, could they please exempt products made in the Golden State?

“I’m pursuing trading relationships with our global partners to combat the pain of Trump’s tariffs and exclude California-made products from retaliation,” Gov. Newsom explained in a video he posted on the social media platform X. “As the world’s 5th largest economy, California remains open for business — no matter the turbulence in Washington.”

And why wouldn’t Newsom want to exempt California exports, like wine, from foreign tariffs? After all, he stands to make a bundle from the very cushy foreign policy deals his office is negotiating.

He and San Fransisco billionaire Gordon Getty just bought out a gorgeous new property, Oso Vineyards, in Napa Valley for $14.5 million.

We know Newsom isn’t above raiding taxpayer funds for his own enrichment. Newsom and Getty’s PlumpJack winery received a cool $918,720 in your money from the Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) during the 2020 Covid lockdowns—lockdowns he and his fellow diners famouly flouted during their dinner at The French Laundry.

PlumpJack is living fat off the taxpayers. Newsom’s winery pulled in total revenue amounting to $150 million in 2025, according to Rocket Reach.

Newsom isn’t the only governor treading the line of legality.

Liberal Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, who also has his eyes set on the 2028 presidential nomination, recently signed a trade agreement with Mexico City, saying he wanted to head off a Trump “tax” on consumers.

And one Democrat is so determined to fight back against America First, he wants to cite a British royal charter.

“Incredible. Rep. Joe McNamara is calling on the governor to combat tarrifs by creating a free trade zone in Rhode Island, using powers granted in the Royal Charter,” said Antonia Noori Farzan, a reporter for the liberal Providence Journal.

It’s true. McNamara wrote to Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, a fellow Democrat, on Wednesday, saying, “I would like to respectfully request that you use the powers of your office as granted by King Charles II in our 1663 Royal Charter to establish free trade zones in the state of Rhode Island.”

Obviously, the Democrats’ actions are completely illegal. The Constitution says states cannot opt out of trade agreements negotiated by the federal government. Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 vests Congress with the power “To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations.”

“The power to regulate foreign commerce was always broader than the states’ power to tax it, an exercise of the police power recognized by Chief Justice John Marshall in Brown v. Maryland,” says Constitution Annotated, an official explanation of the U.S. Constitution posted on the website of Congress. “This power was constrained by notions of the national interest and preemption principles.”

But you don’t need an explainer. Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court opined in a 1903 case that this very provision of theConstitution “clothed Congress with that power over international commerce, pertaining to a sovereign nation in its intercourse with foreign nations.” And to clear up any confusion, the Supreme Court said the Constitution left absolutely “no implied or reserved power in the States.” Later, the court ruled the Constitution established “the authority of Congress to absolutely prohibit foreign importations,” if it wanted to.

But the Democrats have signaled their opposition to Trump’s tariffs since he rode the issue, along with immigration and the transgender agenda, to a second term last fall.

“Tariffs would be devastating to our economy,” Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (a Democrat, naturally) told ABC’s Good Morning America last December.

Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado called on his fellow Democrats to start protecting the “state-level institutions of democracy” during the next four years. Evidently, that means abusing state authority to overrule the federal government.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was one of the Democrats who opposed Trump’s threatened tariffs six years ago at the 2019 National Governors Association event, along with then-Republican governors Doug Ducey of Arizona and Gary Herbert of Utah.

The calls have not phased the Trump administration in the least.

“Gavin Newsom should focus on out-of-control homelessness, crime, regulations, and unaffordability in California instead of trying his hand at international dealmaking,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai responded.

As for Americans, President Trump told them to hold on while he resets the global trade pecking order, dethroning the Chinese Communist Party and putting America First.

In the meantime, he said on Truth Social earlier this week, “Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid! Don’t be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!).”

“Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient,” Trump said, “and GREATNESS will be the result!”

About the Author

Frank Holmes is a veteran journalist and an outspoken conservative that talks about the news that was in his weekly article, “On The Holmes Front.”