Trump Calls Newsom's Death Row Commutations a 'Disaster for Justice'

President Donald Trump on Saturday blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to commute the death sentences of hundreds of inmates, calling the move a “disaster for Justice in America” and expressing hope that it would be overturned, Newsmax reported in a post on X.

“Many of these names, people who have killed, over and over again, can’t believe their luck in having a Governor so incompetent and insensitive that he would not let the long and winding legal system prevail,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday morning, according to the New York Post.

TRUMP SLAMS NEWSOM: President Donald Trump on Saturday blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to commute the death sentences of hundreds of inmates, calling the move a "disaster for Justice in America" and expressing hope that it would be overturned.

"Gavin Newscum’s… pic.twitter.com/TTtKy1DyUP

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) November 14, 2026

“The family members of those who were so viciously killed are, rightfully, devastated. Hopefully this decision will be overturned!” Trump added, the New York Post reported. The president described the inmates as “some of the worst cold blooded murderers to have ever lived on the face of the Earth,” according to Newsweek.

What Newsom announced

Newsom told the California Supreme Court on Nov. 5 that he will commute the death sentences of all 548 state prisoners awaiting execution, reducing their punishments to life in prison without parole, the California Courts Newsroom reported. Trump’s post cited a figure of 563 inmates, a number that does not match the 548 people identified by Newsom’s office, Newsweek reported.

The plan releases no one, makes no one eligible for parole and leaves every conviction and restitution order in place, according to California Today, citing the governor’s fact sheet. If approved, it would be the largest mass commutation of death sentences in U.S. history, Newsweek reported.

“I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” Newsom said when announcing the decision, according to the New York Post.

Not in effect yet

None of the commutations has taken effect, and 382 of them cannot be granted unless the California Supreme Court recommends them first, California Today reported. The state Constitution requires four justices to concur before a governor can grant clemency to someone twice convicted of a felony, the outlet reported.

Newsom, who is term-limited, has asked the court to act by the end of this year so he can complete the process before leaving office in January, Newsweek reported. Governor-elect Xavier Becerra takes office Jan. 4, according to California Today.

Prosecutors and victims’ advocates push back

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said this week he is asking the state Supreme Court to block the commutations, the New York Post reported.

Anne Marie Schubert, a former district attorney who now leads the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, told the Post her organization will challenge the commutations in court. “Clemency is an extraordinary act of mercy. It is not a rubber stamp,” Schubert said, according to the New York Post.

The foundation held a press conference Thursday with victims’ families and prosecutors from across the state and said it plans to file “every legal challenge available” before the California Supreme Court, Newsweek reported.

California has not carried out an execution since Jan. 17, 2006, and voters rejected ballot measures to repeal the death penalty in 2012 and 2016, according to Newsweek. Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019, Audacy reported.

Sources

• Newsmax on X
• New York Post: President Trump rips Gavin Newsom’s death row decision as ‘disaster for Justice in America’
• Newsweek: Trump Attacks Newsom Over Death Penalty Move: ‘Disaster for Justice’
• Audacy: Trump calls Newsom’s death row move a ‘disaster’
• California Courts Newsroom: Newsom moves to commute all California death sentences to life in prison without parole
• California Today: Newsom’s commutations aren’t in effect yet, and 382 need the California Supreme Court’s recommendation first

Reporting by Daily Beltway.