The president Donald Trump described the decision by the Democratic governor of California, Gavin Newsom, to commute all current death sentences in the state as a "disaster for justice in the United States" this Saturday, and called for the measure to be revoked.
Trump posted his criticism on his Truth Social platform, using the mocking nickname "Newscum" to refer to the governor.
"The decision by Gavin Newsom to suspend the death penalty for the 563 inmates on California's death row, some of the most cold-blooded killers to have ever existed on the face of the Earth, is a disaster for justice in the United States," wrote the official.
Trump also accused Newsom of being "incompetent and insensitive" for obstructing the judicial process, claiming that the victims' families were "devastated" by the measure.
The president concluded his post with a direct appeal: "I hope this decision is reversed!"
Newsom announced the commutation on November 5, aiming to replace all existing death sentences with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The governor's office reported 548 affected individuals —529 men and 19 women— although Trump mentioned a figure of 563 in his post, a discrepancy noted by several media outlets.
If fully approved, the measure would be the largest mass commutation of death sentences in U.S. history and would reduce the national death row population by approximately 30%.
The commutations, however, would not free any prisoner nor eliminate the death penalty from California's legal system, which remains in effect.
The implementation of the measure is not immediate either: in approximately 382 cases, the California Supreme Court must authorize each commutation with the support of at least four of its seven justices.
The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation announced a lawsuit to prevent the commutations, arguing that the governor's office did not notify local prosecutors or the victims' families in advance, as required by state law.
The district attorneys of Los Angeles and Orange also supported the legal challenge.
On the other hand, more than 50 family members of victims expressed their support for Newsom's decision before the state Supreme Court during the previous week.
California has not executed any inmate since January 2006, and Newsom himself declared a moratorium on executions in 2019, although without altering the sentences.
The decision comes amidst a backdrop of marked political rivalry: the Trump administration pushed this year for the reintroduction of the death penalty for federal executions, directly contrasting with the stance of the California governor, whose term concludes in January 2027 and who is among the potential Democratic candidates for the presidency in 2028.
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