California governor defends progressive values, says they’re an ‘antidote’ to populism on the right

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, praised President Joe Biden during his State of the State address on June 25, contrasting former President Donald Trump’s version of the Republican party to pre-World War II fascism.

Newsom criticized Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, likening it to destructive 1939 language. Trump’s comments continue to fuel left-wing warnings of a grim future, despite his later disavowal of similarities to Adolf Hitler’s rhetoric.

This comes days before the first presidential debate between the president and former president on Thursday, June 27.