Trump Shifts Fraud Fight to California, Accuses Newsom of Deep Corruption

One day after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he would not seek reelection, President Donald Trump turned his attention to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, claiming a new fraud investigation is underway according to the New York Post.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said California, led by Newsom, is “more corrupt than Minnesota,” and wrote that a “Fraud Investigation of California has begun.” The statement followed days of heightened scrutiny over alleged abuse of public programs in Minnesota, which Trump has cited as evidence of broader failures in Democrat-led states.

“California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota, if that’s possible??? The Fraud Investigation of California has begun,” Trump wrote.

The comments came after Walz, a Democrat who was his party’s 2024 vice presidential nominee, abruptly ended his reelection bid. Walz said the political environment and negative attention tied to Minnesota’s child care fraud investigation made it impossible for him to campaign and govern at the same time.

Walz described the controversy as partisan, saying Trump and his allies want to make Minnesota “a colder, meaner place.” Trump and Republicans on Capitol Hill have argued the fraud concerns are legitimate and reflect deeper governance failures.

In a separate Truth Social post responding to Walz’s decision, Trump accused the governor of being “caught, redhanded” in what he described as a massive scheme involving “tens of billions of taxpayer dollars.” Trump said Walz was not alone and claimed Newsom and other Democratic governors have performed “an even more dishonest and incompetent job,” adding, “No one is above the law!”

Trump’s renewed focus on California echoed longstanding conservative criticism that Newsom’s administration operates with weak oversight, rising costs, and entrenched corruption, while Sacramento seeks additional funding from taxpayers.

Those arguments were cited alongside a recent assessment from California’s nonpartisan state auditor, which placed Newsom’s administration and several major state agencies under heightened “high-risk” scrutiny. According to the report, persistent failures across benefit programs, unemployment systems, financial reporting, cybersecurity, and water infrastructure could expose the state to billions of dollars in added costs and serious public safety risks.

Among the findings, the auditor flagged California’s CalFresh program for a payment error rate of nearly 11%, warning the state could face up to $2.5 billion in additional exposure by 2028 if the problems continue. The report also cited roughly $1.5 billion in improper unemployment payments during 2023 and 2024, years after pandemic-era fraud had already drawn national attention.

The assessment also pointed to weak financial reporting, cybersecurity gaps across agencies, dam infrastructure concerns that could threaten lives and property, and whistleblower investigations describing wasteful spending, including millions paid for unused state-issued mobile devices.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said he plans to pursue tougher oversight, restore law-and-order standards in federal agencies, and ensure taxpayers are not treated as “an endless ATM for mismanaged states.”