In a lawsuit to be filed with the Northern California District Court, the state claims that Trump does not have the right to introduce the tariffs that have triggered global trade turmoil.
Trump, for example, bases the tariffs against the USA's neighboring countries on a law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which allows the president to act against foreign threats. However, it does not apply to such cases, according to California, and Trump must go through Congress if he wants to introduce tariffs.
“President Trump's illegal tariffs trigger chaos among California's families, businesses, and economy – drive up prices and threaten jobs", writes Newsom. "We stand up for families in the USA who cannot afford to let this chaos continue".
Newsom, who has occasionally been described as a future hope for the USA's opposition, has also signaled that his state wants to circumvent the tariffs by making separate deals with other countries.
However, it is not clear when the lawsuit will be filed.
