Trump Accuses California Governor of “Corruption” as Fraud Probe Begins

One day after Minnesota Democrat Gov. Tim Walz announced he will not seek reelection amid fraud allegations, President Donald Trump on Tuesday set his sights on California and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that California, led by Newsom, is “more corrupt than Minnesota,” adding that a “Fraud Investigation of California has begun.”

Trump’s message followed days of intensifying scrutiny on alleged abuse of public programs in Minnesota, and his broader argument that Democrat-led states have grown comfortable with waste, fraud, and political favoritism.

“California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota, if that’s possible??? The Fraud Investigation of California has begun,” Trump wrote.

Trump’s comments came as Walz, a Democrat who was his party’s 2024 vice presidential nominee, abruptly ended his reelection bid.

Walz blamed the political environment and negative attention surrounding Minnesota’s child care fraud investigation, saying he could not campaign and govern at the same time.

Walz framed the controversy as partisan attacks, claiming Trump and allies want to make Minnesota “a colder, meaner place.”

But Trump and Republicans on Capitol Hill have argued that the fraud concerns are real and reflect deeper governance failures.

In a separate Truth Social post reacting to Walz’s exit, Trump accused the governor of being “caught, redhanded” in a massive scheme involving “tens of billions of taxpayer dollars,” and claimed Walz was not alone.

Trump said Newsom and other blue-state governors have performed “an even more dishonest and incompetent job,” insisting, “No one is above the law!”

Trump’s latest focus on California also taps into long-running conservative criticism that Newsom presides over a system with weak oversight, ballooning costs, and entrenched corruption while Sacramento demands more money from working Americans.

Those claims received fresh ammunition in a recent assessment from California’s nonpartisan state auditor, which placed Newsom’s administration and several major agencies under heightened “high-risk” scrutiny.

The auditor warned that persistent failures across benefit programs, unemployment systems, financial reporting, cybersecurity, and water infrastructure could expose the state to billions of dollars in additional costs and serious public safety risks.

Trump has argued that this one-party Democrat rule produces big government with little accountability.

In recent remarks aboard Air Force One, Trump has vowed to push tougher oversight, restore law-and-order standards in federal agencies, and ensure taxpayers aren’t treated like an endless ATM for mismanaged states.