Blue states should legally withhold federal taxes from Trump regime!

Would the Union states fund the Confederacy?!

Jun 08, 2025

We are at war. Donald Trump calling out the National Guard to occupy parts of Los Angeles over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom to silence protesters is the latest example of this. Trump’s Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth followed up by threatening to deploy the US Marines stationed at nearby Camp Pendelton to join in this war effort. (This is the first time in 60 years that a US President has invoked federal law to federalize national guard troops without a request by the Governor--and that was to protect civil rights protesters in 1965.)

While there were protests in Los Angeles in response to Trump’s heavy handed ICE raids—and some pockets of violence—local officials had the resources to control the situation. As Gov. Gavin Newsom stated in response to Trump’s actions, “The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle." (Newsom’s use of term “spectacle” is 100% correct given what Trump wants is to create “fascist spectacles” to intimidate people—as I’ve written about.).

On Sunday morning, Newsom reiterated that point writing, “We have been working closely with law enforcement. There is no unmet need.” He added, Trump “would like nothing more than for this provocative show of force -- and Pete Hegseth's absurd threat to deploy United States Marines on American soil – to escalate tensions and incite violence.”

But Trump’s latest escalation in the war against the Blue states and our freedoms can’t be viewed in a vacuum. Trump is waging a multifaceted war upon us. In just the first five months of his term, we’ve seen him arrest a judge, a sitting member of Congress and the Mayor of Newark for daring to defy him. (Charges versus the Mayor were later dropped because they were baseless.)

Trump has used the power of the federal government to target critics and those who refuse to bend a knee including law firms, universities, the Democratic online fundraising platform Act Blue, media outlets, foreign college students, former Trump officials who refused to lie, green card holders and more. We never seen a President engage in this type of brazen attack on our freedoms.

Again, we are at war. Let me ask you this: During the Civil War, would Union states pay taxes to the Confederate government headed by Jefferson Davis to fund their war against the United States of America? Of course not. But Blue states are currently funding Trump's war against us by paying federal taxes to what is in essence the new Confederate government. That needs to end--assuming there is a legal means that can allow the states and their residents to withhold paying federal taxes and instead use the taxes for state services.

In fact, the prospect of withholding federal funds to the Trump regime was raised Friday by Gov. Newsom. That was in response to news reports that Trump was about to end all federal aid to California in an effort to make an example of the state. Newsom posted online: “Californians pay the bills for the federal government. We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back.” He added, “Maybe it’s time to cut that off.”

That sentiment was backed up by California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas who on Friday slammed Trump’s threat to freeze funding to California as “unconstitutional and vindictive.” He added in a post, “I’ll use every legal and constitutional tool available to defend CA — we must look at every option, including withholding federal taxes.”

Trump’s goal with his war on California—like with his war on Harvard University—is about sending a message that if you defy him, he will inflict pain. Trump is attempting to create a climate to encourage people to choose silence and submission over fighting back.

As a reminder, in Putin’s Russia, estimates are that there are only about 1,500 political prisoners in a nation of more than 140 million. But the very public arrests of political prisoners is enough to deter others from daring to speak out. Trump is simply following the Putin playbook with his very visible arrests of officials, use of mass ICE raids, sending in the National Guard and targeting of dissidents.

We all know that it’s the large Blue States that fund the federal government. Newsom is correct that California—the world’s fourth largest economy if it were a nation--contributed about $83 billion more in federal taxes in 2022 than it received back from Washington. More broadly, a study from 2018 to 2022 found that Blue states contributed nearly 60% of all federal tax receipts—but received back far less as we subsidize the Trump loving Red states.

We need Blue state governors to work with their respective Attorney General’s to determine: 1. Can the state legally withhold taxes to the federal government? 2. Can residents of the state legally avoid paying federal taxes by paying what is due directly to the state? Perhaps the federal taxes can be paid into a state created trust account that the state promises to pay the federal government assuming certain conditions are met to respect the rights of the people of each state?

If such a legal framework can be created, then the states should use the tax dollars to help the people of their state first. As a practical matter, people in Red States who rely on government safety net programs like Medicaid etc. will hopefully move to the Blue States where they will get freedom and these benefits. And for those who can’t afford to move, the Blue states could create a fund to help people seeking to escape from Trump’s tyranny to be able to resettle in Blue States. (As an aside, this would also increase Blue State population while decreasing that of Red states—which would help us gain more congressional seats at the end of this decade after the census is conducted.)

Trump’s actions are neither unique nor original. He is following the aspiring dictator playbook. That is why I and many warned Trump’s war on freedom of expression doesn’t end with his arresting of green card holders who express views that the regime doesn’t approve of—that is where it begins. In fact, when Trump had green card holder Mahmoud Khalil arrested in March for peacefully protesting U.S. policy in Gaza, my article’s title warned what this meant, “Trump’s arrest of a pro-Palestinian student moves the U.S. one step closer to Tyranny.”

And this is why in March, when Trump targeted the first law firm by way of his executive order, I wrote my article titled, “Trump punishing law firms that represent his “political enemies” demands far more attention!” History was yelling at us where Trump wants to go--as numerous experts on fascism and autocracy recently warned on my show. Trump sending out troops over the objections of California’s Governor is simply another step in his efforts to control Blue states and grab more power.

That is why the Blue State governors and their legislatures must act now. We are at war. It’s long past time to use every legal means to fight back against Trump and his dreams of becoming America’s first tyrant. Our freedoms and our Republic depend on it.