Trump reignites war with Gavin Newsom with move ripping $4B from his pet project in California
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President Donald Trump has come after California Gov. Gavin Newsom again, this time stripping federal funds from the mega-state’s beleaguered high speed rail project.
The Democrat accused Trump of illegally pulling $4 billion in funding for the state’s high-speed rail project to link San Francisco to Los Angeles.
‘California is putting all options on the table to fight this illegal action,’ Newsom warned in a statement.
But Trump appears unconcerned.
‘To the law abiding, tax paying, hardworking citizens of the United States of America, I am thrilled to announce that I have officially freed you from funding California’s disastrously overpriced, ‘High speed train to nowhere,” the president wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday evening amid the standoff with Newsom.
The high-speed rail was supposed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. when it was approved in 2008.
It was also supposed to be completed by 2020 and cost $33 billion, yet zero train tracks have been laid and estimates now say it will likely cost up to $128 billion.
‘This boondoggle, led by the incompetent Governor of California, Gavin Newscum, has cost Taxpayers Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we have received nothing in return except cost overruns.’
Trump celebrated the Department of Transportation stripping California of $4 billion for its high-speed rail project
After billions of dollars and over a decade of construction, zero railway track has actually been constructed in the mega-project promised to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the administration’s decision is ‘illegal’
‘The railroad we were promised still does not exist, and never will,’ the president’s post continued. ‘This project was severely overpriced, overregulated, and never delivered.’
The Transportation Department announced it was rescinding $4 billion in funding for the mega-project in recent weeks. Less than a quarter of the project’s funding came from federal coffers.
In a press release, the DOT noted ‘the $135 billion projected total cost of the project could buy every San Francisco and LA resident nearly 200 roundtrip flights between the cities.’
The massive delays and cost overruns prove the California government highlight its ‘incompetence,’ Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.
‘It’s time for this boondoggle to die. President Trump and I will always fight to ensure your tax dollars only go to projects that accomplish great, big, beautiful things.’
California High Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri shared that the state would fight the administration’s move in court.
‘These are legally binding agreements, and the authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025,’ he said in a statement.
The railway authority claims 171 miles are under active construction and design, adding that over 50 ‘major structures’ have been completed since construction began in 2015.
The high-speed rail is expected to run through farmland in central California
Passenger service, it estimates, will not begin until between 2030 and 2033.
‘This was an ill-conceived and unnecessary project, and a total waste of taxpayer money — but no more!,’ Trump boasted.
Newsom is widely considered to be a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential race.
He has publicly been challenging Trump on a myriad of topics, most recently filing a lawsuit challenging the White House’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
That round went to President Trump, after a federal appeals court ruled unanimously that he acted within his authority to federalize and retain control of the state’s national guard.
