Follow-up: Newsom Warns in Video: Interfere With California's Election and Face Felony Prosecution; No Presidential Pardon Will Save You

Sacramento, California — On November 2, the day before the November 3 midterm election, California Governor Gavin Newsom posted a roughly two-minute video on his official social media accounts, speaking directly to the camera with a warning: anyone who interferes with California voters or tampers with ballots will face felony prosecution, and "no presidential pardon will save you." An on-screen caption read, "Don't mess with our elections."

In the video, Newsom said that just hours earlier, President Trump had gone to the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to throw out some 20,000 California ballots cast by voters who had followed the rules. He called the claim of widespread illegal voting in California "a lie" and said it had been set up for months so the election could be declared stolen if the result was not to Trump's liking. The Justice Department had filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court seeking to set those ballots aside, and the Court rejected it, as GSM reported earlier. Newsom also said the Justice Department had hit local election workers with criminal grand jury subpoenas to intimidate them.

"So let me speak clearly and directly to anyone thinking about helping him," Newsom said in the video. "If you interfere with our voters, you will be prosecuted with a felony. If you tamper with our ballots, you will face justice. It doesn't matter who gave the order." He added: "Meddle in California's election, and California will come for you. The president can't pardon you out of California justice." In the post accompanying the video, he wrote: "Donald Trump is trying to throw out 20,000 California ballots and intimidate election workers. Let me be CLEAR: If you interfere with our elections, California WILL come for you. No presidential pardon will save you. We are READY. Every eligible vote WILL be counted."

Newsom listed California's preparations in the video: two months earlier he had signed a law giving prosecutors new tools, and the state had passed a 13-bill election protection package creating new felonies for election interference, invested nearly $40 million to help counties hire staff and count ballots faster, and created an Election Security Task Force to watch for misinformation and threats at the polls. California had also beaten the administration in court three times the previous week. On Election Day, 135 lawyers and more than 1,000 volunteers would be standing by. He also gave a hotline, 1-877-321-VOTE, for anyone facing obstruction or threats.

Newsom closed by thanking election workers, calling threats against them a disgrace, and urging Californians not to be scared and to get out and vote. The Governor's Office issued a written statement the same day summarizing the state's year-long election safeguards and the new laws in effect, which GSM reported separately; see the link below.

(Source: Office of the Governor of California)

Related: Follow-up: Newsom Details California Election Safeguards: Nearly $40 Million to Local Governments, New Felonies for Election Interference

Source: Office of the Governor of California

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 加州州长 Gavin Newsom 在州长讲台前举行新闻发布会（资料图，2025年5月，加州州长办公室摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons） / California Governor Gavin Newsom speaking at a press conference at the governor's podium (file photo, May 2025; Office of the Governor of California, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

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