US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are greeted by California Governor Gavin Newson upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 24, 2025, to visit the region devastated by the Palisades and Eaton fires.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
California on Wednesday sued President Donald Trump to halt his sweeping tariff regime, arguing that he is implementing his protectionist trade agenda illegally.
The federal lawsuit makes California the first state to challenge the Trump administration over its wide-ranging tariff plans, which have whipped up historic market volatility and frayed America’s relationships with its allies and trading partners.
“Donald Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally impose the largest tax hike of our lifetime with his destructive tariffs,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X. “We’re taking him to court.”
The lawsuit argues that Trump’s use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act — which he recently invoked to impose his so-called reciprocal tariff plan — is “unlawful and unprecedented,” Newsom’s office told NBC News.
The situation creates “immediate and irreparable harm to California, the largest economy, manufacturing, and agriculture state in the nation,” the office said.
The suit filed in U.S. District Court in northern California seeks to have Trump’s tariffs declared void.
Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta are set to hold a press conference at 1:30 p.m. ET announcing the legal action.
“The President’s chaotic and haphazard implementation of tariffs is not only deeply troubling, it’s illegal,” Bonta said in a statement to NBC.
“As the fifth largest economy in the world, California understands global trade policy is not just a game,” Bonta said.
“Californians are bracing for fallout from the impact of the President’s choices — from farmers in the Central Valley, to small businesses in Sacramento, and worried families at the kitchen table.”
The White House lashed out at Newsom over the lawsuit.
“Instead of focusing on California’s rampant crime, homelessness, and unaffordability, Gavin Newsom is spending his time trying to block President Trump’s historic efforts to finally address the national emergency of our country’s persistent goods trade deficits,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told CNBC in a statement.
“The entire Trump administration remains committed to addressing this national emergency that’s decimating America’s industries and leaving our workers behind with every tool at our disposal, from tariffs to negotiations,” Desai said.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.