President Trump rips Gavin Newsom’s death row decision as ‘disaster for Justice in America’

President Donald Trump blasted Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to commute the death sentences of all 548 death row inmates in California in his first remarks on the governor’s controversial move.

“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, calling the decision “a disaster for Justice in America.”

“The family members of those who were so viciously killed are, rightfully, devastated. Hopefully this decision will be overturned!” added Trump, who called the death row inmates “some of the worst cold–blooded murderers to have ever lived on the face of the Earth.”

The California Post contacted the governor’s office for comment.

Multiple family members of victims killed by the spared inmates have expressed outrage over Newsom’s move, which he framed as a decision he was morally compelled to make.

“He’s putting these people closer and closer and closer to freedom, and these are absolutely the worst, most disgusting people that have ever lived,” father Marc Klaas told the California Post.

His daughter, 12-year-old Polly Klaas, was kidnapped in 1993 at knifepoint from a slumber party and murdered. Richard Allen Davis was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in 1996.

“The whole idea that my daughter’s killer is getting this gift of life that was denied to all of the victims of these characters” is offensive, Klaas added.

Trump’s hope of the commutations being overturned comes as victims’ advocates promised to legally challenge Newsom’s mass commutation.

Anne Marie Schubert, a former district attorney who now leads the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, told The Post her organization will force scrutiny on the commutations in court. Such commutations are usually done on a case-by-case basis instead of a blanket move, she said.

At a press conference Thursday, she claimed Newsom also failed to notify district attorneys in advance.

“Where was the individualized examination of those murders, the aggravating circumstances, the devastating impact on the families?” Schubert said. “Clemency is an extraordinary act of mercy. It is not a rubber stamp.”

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

Under current law, commutations for criminals with multiple felonies can only go into effect with the approval of the state Supreme Court.

The governor, when announcing his death row stunt, acknowledged the backlash that would come from surviving family members who trusted in the justice system.

“I deeply respect the views of those who will strongly disagree with my decision, including some families of victims who have suffered the worst possible loss,” the Democratic governor said. “I hold this painful truth along with the belief that this is a righteous action.”

“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 explained.

California has not carried out an execution since 2006, even though it houses the nation’s largest death-row population. That’s partially because Newsom introduced the state’s moratorium on executions through an executive order in 2019.

The commutations could influence the national public image of Newsom, who is eyeing a White House run in 2028.

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