Overlooking the Pacific Ocean from his , former president Donald Trump praised his California property as one of the most beautiful in the world.
The rest of the state, however, is being destroyed by rampant crime, sweeping homelessness and unauthorized immigrants 鈥� and it鈥檚 spurring a mass exodus, Trump said at a press conference today.
鈥淭he state of California is a mess,鈥� said Trump.
鈥淲e cannot allow Comrade Kamala Harris and the communist left to do to America what they did to California,鈥� said the former president, who had held a fundraiser in Los Angeles on Thursday night and plans one later today in the Bay Area community of Woodside to cash in on .
Attacking California is something Trump didn鈥檛 even do once in his first 鈥� and 鈥� presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday night in Philadelphia. Political experts perceived it as a missed opportunity: After all, his allies have for decades decried California as too liberal for the rest of the nation 鈥� .
The jury is still out on how much Harris鈥� California ties could hurt her chance among undecided voters. For most Michigan and Arizona voters who spoke to CalMatters last month, Harris鈥� record in the White House than her California brand.
Trump, who repeatedly mispronounced Harris鈥檚 first name, also blamed Harris for federal economic and border policies and insisted he outperformed her .
The Harris campaign鈥檚 rapid response team , but has not directly responded to what he said about her record or her home state.
How much of the many, many things Trump said about California and Harris鈥� record is accurate? Here鈥檚 our fact check on some notable claims:
State of the state
What Trump said:
鈥淐alifornia has the highest inflation, highest taxes, the highest gas prices, the most illegal aliens, the most regulations, the most expensive utilities, and it ranks as the third worst state to start a business.鈥�
Facts:
- Inflation: Inflation rates fluctuate month to month. Florida had the highest inflation at 4% as of March, while California had the seventh highest, at 3.6%, according to an by Moody鈥檚 Analytics. Even according to U.S. Senate Republicans鈥� own inflation tracker, as of August, ranked 5th for increased monthly inflation costs since January 2021 and had a cumulative inflation rate lower than Florida and .
- Taxes: California does have the highest state sales tax at 7.25%, but in total state and local sales tax rates this year, according to the Tax Foundation. California鈥檚 property tax rate is at 0.75%, of all 50 states. The state also has a progressive income tax rate while other states have a flat rate for all.
- Gas prices: It is true. California does have the highest gas price of all states, at $4.76 a gallon as of today, . The national average is $3.23.
- Unauthorized immigrants: California is estimated to have the largest population of undocumented immigrants, at , based on a Pew Research Center estimate of 2022 Census figures. But California is also the only state where that population decreased from 2019 to 2022, while the populations in Republican-led Florida and Texas grew the most.
- Utility rates: , Hawaii 鈥� not California 鈥� had the highest electricity rates, averaging 42.4 cents per kilowatt hour for residential customers, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In California, residential customers paid an average of 33.0 cents per kilowatt hour. of monthly utility bills by state ranked Alaska the most expensive, followed by Hawaii, Connecticut, West Virginia and Georgia.
- Worst state to start a business: It depends which ranking you look at, but , California is the 37th best state to start a business this year.
Crime in California
What Trump said: Trump blamed the 鈥渄estruction鈥� of San Francisco on Gov. Gavin Newsom and Harris. He said murders rose 鈥渟ignificantly鈥� and car thefts 鈥渨ent through the roof鈥� while Harris was state attorney general. He argued that Harris was lenient in prosecuting several cases, that she had endorsed defunding the police and that 鈥渢he police don鈥檛 endorse her.鈥�
Facts:
- Crime stats: When Harris was California attorney general between 2011 and 2017, homicide rates fluctuated, with an average of 1,819 homicides per 100,000 people each year, according to . Vehicle thefts ebbed and flowed, averaging 164,000 per 100,000 people. Both rates were far lower than during the 1990s.
Leniency:
Despite claims she鈥檚 soft on crime, Harris has a mixed record. As a local prosecutor, Harris 鈥� a case Trump used during the press conference to justify his claim. But years later, Harris prosecuted a woman with mental illness for assaulting police officers. As California鈥檚 attorney general, Harris defended even though she personally opposed it. Harris remained neutral on various ballot measures about reducing penalties for low-level offenses and .
- Defund the police: It is true that Harris and 鈥渞eimagining鈥� public safety during her 2020 presidential campaign, weeks after George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, sparking waves of protests against law enforcement. 鈥淭his whole movement is about rightly saying, we need to take a look at these budgets and figure out whether it reflects the right priorities,鈥� she said at the time. After President Joe Biden tapped her as his running mate, however, she denounced the 鈥渄efund鈥� movement.
- Police endorsements: 鈥� including sheriffs, former and current police chiefs and FBI agents 鈥� endorsed Harris last week.
Immigration and the border
What Trump said: He lambasted Harris for supporting 鈥渟anctuary cities鈥� for undocumented immigrants while she was San Francisco鈥檚 district attorney, claiming she shielded 鈥渋llegal aliens鈥� who committed murders and refused to deport them.
Facts:
- Sanctuary city policy: The San Francisco city ordinance 鈥� which prevented officials from handing over unauthorized migrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement even if they committed a felony 鈥� . It was originally aimed at protecting asylum seekers from El Salvador and Guatemala, but was extended in 1989 to cover all immigrants. Harris 鈥� who was district attorney from 2004 to 2011 鈥� to report undocumented immigrants arrested on suspicion of a felony in 2008.
- Prosecuting unauthorized immigrants: Trump said Harris offered sanctuary in 2008 to Edwin Ramos, a Salvadoran migrant who was charged with three counts of murder and who had prior convictions for assault and attempted robbery. Similarly, Trump mentioned the case of Rony Aguilera, a Honduran immigrant who murdered a 14-year-old boy in 2008. It is true city officials did not turn him over to federal agents at the time 鈥� under the sanctuary city policy that Harris helped change that year. Ramos was , and Aguilera was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison .
Homelessness
What Trump said: 鈥淎fter Kamala Harris and Gavin Newscum took charge of San Francisco, homelessness increased by over 200%.鈥�
Facts: Homelessness has grown in California, but not by that much. From 2007 to 2023, the number of people experiencing homelessness grew , according to a report to Congress. In San Francisco, the point-in-time count of homeless people this year reached the lowest level since 2015, . Nearly 186,000 Californians live on the streets or homeless shelters, up 8% from 2022, . , California accounted for nearly 30% of the nation鈥檚 homeless population and roughly half of the unsheltered population.
California exodus
What Trump said: He claimed the state has the most number of people leaving.
Facts: It is true that California last year 鈥� 75,423, according to the Census Bureau. But it鈥檚 not just a California problem: lost the most population between 2020 and 2022, losing 2.6% of its population, according to Census data. The are complicated: Some died, some moved to other states due to the high cost of living, and some left the country altogether.
is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.