California Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing back hard against the Trump administration’s reported plan to rescind national monument status from two recently designated protected areas: the Chuckwalla and Sattitla Highlands National Monuments.
The two sites, both located in California and protected by former President Joe Biden, could have their designations reversed under new legal interpretations by the Trump Justice Department. Chuckwalla, in particular, borders the existing Joshua Tree National Monument and is considered a key part of California’s conservation push.
Reacting to the news, Governor Newsom called the move unnecessary and politically motivated.
“This is just getting petty. Grow up,” he said in a press statement.
In a separate post on X (formerly Twitter), his office added:
“If it’s a day ending in Y, it’s another day of Trump’s war on California.”
The Trump administration is citing a newly issued legal opinion stating that the Antiquities Act of 1906 does not prevent a president from undoing national monument declarations made by previous administrations. The memo effectively overturns a 1938 interpretation by former Attorney General Homer Cummings, which argued the opposite.
According to reporting from the Washington Post, the Justice Department believes that past monument designations can be reconsidered — especially if the land in question no longer meets the criteria for protection or was never eligible to begin with. The administration argues that keeping vast tracts of land off-limits hinders future development and economic potential.
Critics, including environmental groups and California officials, argue that the move threatens critical ecosystems and undermines decades of preservation work.
Newsom also took aim at Donald Trump Jr. following an interview he gave with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, in which former ICE chief Tom Homan floated the idea of arresting the governor for undermining federal immigration enforcement.
Newsom mocked the conversation, writing:
“Promo code ARREST for 15% off your Trump Phone.”
He also accused President Trump of using inflammatory rhetoric to stir unrest in Democratic-led states, claiming the administration is attempting to “militarize our cities.”
When House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) told Newsom to focus on “lawlessness” in major California cities, the governor responded by pointing out that Missouri’s homicide rate is over 117% higher than California’s, according to crime data.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields fired back, defending President Trump’s energy and land-use policies.
“Freeing up federal lands in an effort to secure American energy dominance is not petty,” Fields said. “We wouldn’t expect Gavin to understand adult decisions that help his state, considering his legacy of failure.”
Fields also criticized California’s green energy initiatives, calling them a “Green New Scam” that has caused price hikes, energy shortages, and benefits for political donors over regular citizens.
