Group Suggests California Should Leave US Following Trump’s Victory

November 20, 2024 TruthUSA

Supporters of the ‘Calexit’ campaign are aiming to qualify a ballot initiative for the 2026 election.

A group known as Calexit Now believes it is the right time for California to separate from the United States, especially with Republicans controlling the presidency and Congress.

Calexit Now recently submitted a petition to the state Attorney General’s Office on Nov. 19 to kickstart the process of asking voters whether they support secession. Spearheaded by Marcus Evans, an analyst at the California Department of Transportation, the movement deemed this as the “most opportune moment in four decades.”

“Given Trump’s reelection, we see this as the perfect time for Calexit,” stated Evans to The Epoch Times.

Calexit draws inspiration from Britain’s successful Brexit movement in 2016 and the unsuccessful independence referendum in Scotland in 2014, according to Evans.

The group had mentioned the idea previously. After Donald Trump’s initial election in 2016, around 43 percent of Californians surveyed either supported or were open to discussing it, as per SurveyUSA polls, sponsored by CBS Bay Area.

Eight years ago, most left-leaning individuals in the state doubted Trump’s victory in the presidential election, mentioned Evans.

The leader of Calexit’s previous campaign, Louis Marinelli, suddenly withdrew the ballot petition in April 2017 and announced his permanent settlement in Russia due to his discontent with the United States.

During that time, Democratic leaders also favored resistance over secession.

Following the 2024 elections, the idea of separation is garnering some support in the state, Evans noted.

“Liberals in California are coming to terms with the reality that America has chosen this guy,” Evans stated. “For the first time in eight years, the narrative has completely shifted. They now realize this is Trump’s America.”

On the other hand, critics like Hank Campbell, the founder of nonprofit Science 2.0 and an author, have reservations about the concept.

“The challenge for #CalExit progressives is that 80% of California’s land (e.g. resources and food) desires to separate from coastal progressives,” Campbell tweeted on X Nov. 12.

Darel Paul, a political science professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, mentioned that the previous attempts at California secession failed mainly due to the lack of a unified state identity.

“Despite all the Calexit chatter during the Trump era, one major reason it never progressed is that currently only 48% of adult residents in California are natives,” he shared on X in August. “Compare this to Scotland, where 77% of adults were born there.”

California voters also exhibited a shift in attitude towards Trump in the November elections. While ballots are still being tallied in the state, initial results show Trump garnering approximately 4% more votes in comparison to 2020. Around 38% of the state’s population voted for him based on unofficial results as of Nov. 20.

The idea of seceding from the U.S. or even from California has arisen multiple times in various states and communities, but the process would be monumental.

“The [U.S.] Constitution does not provide for secession,” as stated in an article in 1860 by the Dubuque Herald prior to the Civil War, republished by the American Historical Association. “The Constitution of the United States outlines methods for amendment, but it does not … envision its own dismantling. … According to the Constitution, secession of a state from the Union is not feasible.”

In 1869, post-Civil War, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. White that the initial act of admitting a state to the Union was final, as outlined by the California Legislature’s Legislative Analyst’s Office. The court clarified in their decision, “There is no room for reconsideration, or reversal, except through revolution, or by the agreement of the states.”

Calexit faces several obstacles that must be addressed before taking the issue to the federal government for consideration.

Initially, the group aims to receive approval from the state to include a ballot initiative in the Nov. 5, 2026 ballot. The proposed question for voters would be: “Should California separate from the United States and establish itself as a free and independent nation?”

A minimum of 50% of registered voters must participate in the vote, with at least 55% in favor, as per a proposal submitted to Attorney General Rob Bonta.

A demonstrator along El Camino Real in San Mateo, Calif., on Jan. 20, 2017, Donald Trump's first Inauguration Day. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images) — A demonstrator along El Camino Real in San Mateo, Calif., on Jan. 20, 2017, Donald Trump’s first Inauguration Day. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

If successful, the U.S. flag would be taken down from all California government buildings, including the State Capitol, replacing it with the California state flag, as outlined in Calexit’s submission to the Attorney General’s Office.

Subsequently, a diverse commission would be established by the state to examine and report on California’s sovereignty and independence.

The state would then designate a representative to present the case for secession to Congress.

If a majority of representatives support the proposal, California would formally achieve independence, according to Calexit’s plan.

As indicated in a study on the 2017 ballot initiative from the California Legislature’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, any agreement with the United States to secede would need approval from California voters as an amendment to the state Constitution, either through legislative vote or Constitutional Convention and voter consent.

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