LOS ANGELES – President Donald Trump, a long-time critic of California, arrived in Los Angeles on Friday to tour fire-ravaged areas, vowing to provide federal support to the state, just a day after a new ballot initiative was approved to ask voters whether California should become an independent country.
The idea of California seceding from the United States has been around for decades, with the state’s flag still commemorating its 25 days as an independent republic. Even Governor Gavin Newsom has referred to it as a “nation state” in the past. The fires, however, have brought Californians together, but have not necessarily brought them closer to the rest of the country.
Some, like 56-year-old Michael Bryant, who lost his girlfriend’s Malibu home in the fires, feel it’s time for the state to consider secession. “If what I see coming down the pike from the current (Trump) administration, if it goes in the direction that I think it’s going to go, I think that seceding is something that needs to be considered,’’ he said. “I don’t know if I’m un-American for feeling that, but that’s how I feel.”
Tensions between President Trump and Governor Newsom have been heightening, with the White House threatening to withhold federal aid to fire-stricken areas unless the state changes its water management practices. Trump also claimed that the state has all the water needed to fight fires, but is instead using it to protect fish.
The survey by YouGov in February found that 29% of Californians would support secession, with 31% of Texans sharing the same sentiment. While it’s theoretically impossible for California to secede, there have been at least three major attempts in the past decade, including a 2020 paper by Andrew Torrance and Bill Tomlinson on “Fault Lines: An Empirical Legal Study of California Secession.”
Despite its challenges, California remains a major economic powerhouse, with a gross domestic product of $3.9 trillion, comprising 14% of the US total. It produces 9% of the nation’s international exports, 17% of US agricultural products, and 18% of computer and electronic products.
According to Torrance, California is a bellwether for where the US is headed, with its liberal and conservative movements often emerging first in the state. Whatever the case, the idea of California leaving the US would be catastrophic, requiring trade agreements, treaties, and work permits.
