President Donald Trump on Saturday attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom's plan to commute every death sentence in the state, calling it "a disaster for Justice in America" in a post on Truth Social. The broadside came as prosecutors moved to block the sweeping commutations in court, setting up a high-stakes fight over the largest mass commutation in American history.

Key Points

• President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday, November 14, 2026, calling Governor Gavin Newsom's plan to commute all of California's death sentences "a disaster for Justice in America".
• Newsom announced on November 5 that he will commute all 548 death sentences in California — 529 men and 19 women — to life in prison without parole.
• None has taken effect yet: 382 of the 548 cannot be granted unless the California Supreme Court recommends them first, because those inmates have multiple felony convictions.
• Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced on Thursday, November 13, that his office backs a legal challenge by the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation to block the commutations, and Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer is asking the state Supreme Court to block them.
• The commutations would free no one, make no one eligible for parole, and leave every conviction and restitution order in place. California has not carried out an execution since January 17, 2006.

What Happened

Trump denounced Newsom's plan on Truth Social on Saturday, writing: "Gavin Newscum's halting the Death Penalty for all 563 California Death Row inmates... is a disaster for Justice in America." The president cited 563 death-row inmates; Newsom's office puts the population at 548. Either way, every person now under a death sentence in California would be resentenced to life in prison without parole.

The timing was no accident. Newsom announced the commutations on November 5, and the first legal challenge is already taking shape. By weighing in, Trump sided with the prosecutors and victims' families who oppose the plan, turning a California legal question into a national political fight both men may carry into the 2028 presidential race.

Background: Newsom's November 5 Announcement

Newsom announced the commutations in an open letter on November 5, calling the death penalty "unjust, error-prone, and incompatible with the state's values". The plan does not repeal the death penalty, and it applies only to current sentences. But by commuting every existing sentence at once, Newsom would effectively empty the largest death row in the United States in a single stroke.

Only 13 people have been executed in California since 1978, the last — Clarence Ray Allen — on January 17, 2006. Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019 and has since closed the death chamber at San Quentin. Among those who would be commuted are notorious killers including Richard Allen Davis, convicted of the 1993 murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas; Randy Kraft; Charles Ng; and Cary Stayner.

Trump, Newsom and the Death Penalty Fight in California

The clash is about more than the fate of 548 prisoners. It is a collision between two sharply different visions of justice — and two politicians who have made each other a foil. Trump has built his brand in part on law-and-order rhetoric, championing the death penalty and attacking Democratic governors who soften criminal punishments. Newsom has built his national profile on progressive causes, from the execution moratorium to abortion and gun control, as he positions himself for a possible 2028 White House run.

For Trump, the commutations offer a vivid target: a Democratic governor sparing hundreds of convicted killers. For Newsom, the plan is a statement of principle, made in his final weeks in office, that the death penalty itself is the problem. Newsom leaves office in January, with Governor-elect Xavier Becerra taking office on January 4.

Reactions

The prosecutors' response has been swift. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced on Thursday, November 13, that his office is backing the legal challenge brought by the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which seeks to block the sweeping commutations. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said he is asking the state Supreme Court to block them, having already condemned the plan as "mercy for the wolves" and "the ultimate act of cruelty on the sheep".

Not every prosecutor opposes the plan: Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen backed the commutations, arguing the death penalty has failed as a system. Victims' families are divided too — Jess Nichol, sister of Polly Klaas, has called the death penalty "a distraction", even though her sister's killer, Richard Allen Davis, would be commuted. Newsom's office has not yet responded publicly to Trump's post.

Why It Matters

If the commutations go through, they will be the largest mass commutation of death sentences in American history — a landmark in the long national debate over capital punishment. The sheer number matters: 548 sentences, in a state that has not executed anyone in twenty years, would be wiped away at once, leaving the death penalty on the books in California but with no one left under a death sentence.

The legal fight matters too. The challenge will test the limits of a governor's clemency power — whether a governor can commute hundreds of sentences at once, including cases where state law requires the Supreme Court to recommend clemency first. The human stakes are real on both sides: for victims' families, a betrayal of sentences juries imposed; for those on death row, life in prison instead of execution.

What Happens Next

The immediate question is the California Supreme Court. Newsom has asked it to recommend the 382 commutations needing its approval by the end of the year. The court has not said when it will act, and the challenge backed by the state's two largest prosecutors' offices could slow the process. If it recommends them, Newsom can grant them before leaving office; if not, the decision passes in part to Governor-elect Becerra.

Politically, the fight is only beginning: Trump has made the commutations a national issue, and the clash is likely to feature in the 2028 campaign.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Trump say about Newsom's commutation plan?
On Truth Social on Saturday, November 14, 2026, he posted that "Gavin Newscum's halting the Death Penalty for all 563 California Death Row inmates... is a disaster for Justice in America."

How many death sentences would Newsom commute?
All 548 — 529 men and 19 women — to life in prison without parole: the largest mass commutation in US history.

Would anyone be freed by the commutations?
No. They would free no one, make no one eligible for parole, and leave every conviction and restitution order in place.

Why do 382 of the commutations need the California Supreme Court?
California law bars the governor from commuting the sentence of a person with multiple felony convictions unless the state Supreme Court first recommends it.

When will the commutations take effect?
None yet. Newsom wants to finish before leaving office in January, but the court's timetable and the legal challenge could decide the outcome.

Read more: Newsom commutes all 548 California death sentences to life without parole and Three US states carried out lethal injections on November 5.