Fact Check: Did Gavin Newsom announce plans for California to secede from US and become independent?

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: A rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that his state is preparing to secede from the United States and declare itself an independent nation, sparking shock, mockery, and speculation.

Let us analyze the origins of the claim and fact-check it.

Claim: California to secede from the United States

According to the viral claim, California will stop paying all federal taxes and is preparing to secede from the United States and declare itself an independent nation. 

The X post was accompanied by a photo of Governor Newsom, attributing the quote to him.

The claim has been amplified by various accounts on the platform, with the replies indicating widespread skepticism and opposition.

While the opposition to the alleged move suggests that many believe the claim to be true, a few others remained skeptical and questioned the claim’s authenticity.

Fact Check: The claim is false and baseless

The claim, however, is false, as there are no reports of Newsom or the state’s authorities preparing for such a radical move. 

A search on Google for the keywords, ‘California to secede from US,’ ‘California to stop paying tax,’ and ‘California independent state,’ yielded no credible results that support the claim, except for the social media post that amplified the rumor. 

There are also no reports by prominent news media outlets, which, if true, would have made headlines, triggering massive backlash and debates. 

Grok fact checked the claim, stating, “The claim in the viral meme is false. No credible reports or official statements from California Governor Gavin Newsom or state officials indicate any plan to stop paying federal taxes or pursue secession in 2026."

"California secession (Calexit) remains a fringe movement with no realistic path under the U.S. Constitution, and the image appears to be satirical or fabricated content.”

Gavin Newsom revives push for national wealth tax

The claim surfaced after Newsom, in his latest political push, advocated taxing the wealthy as a plan to address growing economic inequality.

In an op-ed posted on Substack on Friday, June 26, Newsom wrote that it’s “time for an economic reset in America,” describing the widening economic gap among citizens as a critical issue in his economic agenda.

In his post titled “It’s time for a national billionaires’ tax and a new social compact,” Newsom renewed his call for a billionaire tax, including a “true minimum tax on billionaires and those with a net worth of $100 million.”