WATCH: California Governor Newsom delivers his final State of the State address to lawmakers

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state must push back against Republican President Donald Trump’s “assault on our values,” warning in his final State of the State address Thursday that democracy is at stake.

The Democrat, who is eyeing a run for president in 2028, used the speech to defend his record as he approaches the end of eight years leading the nation’s most populous state. He highlighted California’s work on homelessness, climate policy, crime and health care costs, noting that the state has sued the Trump administration more than 50 times since the president returned to office.

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“With all due respect, the federal government is unrecognizable. It protects the powerful at the expense of the weak,” Newsom said, accusing the Trump administration of ruling through fear. He criticized what he called a “carnival of chaos,” pointing to the deployment of the National Guard in Democratic-led cities, disagreements over food aid, and cuts to medical research.

Newsom said California, by contrast, should serve as a national model as it defends its policies from what he called federal overreach. He spoke for more than an hour before lawmakers in Sacramento, wearing a blue suit and often drawing applause from Democrats. He did not spend much time talking about immigration, an area in which Trump has been harshly critical.

Republicans remained largely silent during the speech and argued afterward that Newsom had not done enough to address rising electricity and gas prices.

“After years of one-party rule under Gov. Gavin Newsom, the results don’t match the rhetoric,” said state Sen. Roselesi Ochoa Pugh, who represents part of the Inland Empire district. “While the governor is doing his victory laps, the families are doing extra shifts.”

The governor is scheduled to release his proposed budget on Friday after years of financial pressure caused by recurring shortages.

Newsom has long used his annual address to promote economic growth and technological innovation in California while responding to criticism of its high cost of living and largest homeless population in the country. This year, he dismissed his critics as suffering from “California derangement syndrome,” echoing Trump’s use of the phrase “Trump derangement syndrome.”

Read more: Newsom says Trump has a “relentless and unhinged” obsession with California

Newsom and Trump have disagreed on issues ranging from the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles to the federal government’s efforts to block California’s planned 2035 ban on new gas-powered cars, which would be the first of its kind nationwide.

The speech came a day after the state marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating Los Angeles area fires that killed 31 people and destroyed neighborhoods. Newsom asked Congress and Trump for nearly $34 billion to help the region recover. He criticized Trump for not responding to the request, saying the federal government was ignoring Californians affected by the disaster.

“It is time for the president of the United States to do his job, not turn his back on the Americans who live in the great state of California,” Newsom said.

Newsom is touting the state’s work on key issues

Newsom spent part of the speech highlighting progress on several policy fronts. He said unsheltered homelessness fell by 9% last year, though his office did not immediately provide data to support that decline. He praised the state’s cleanup work after the Los Angeles fires and efforts to provide mortgage relief to survivors, while urging lawmakers to speed up rebuilding. He acknowledged the fire survivors who were in the audience Thursday.

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He called for action against large investors who buy affordable homes, arguing that the practice drives up rents and deprives families of home ownership. He also pointed to lower homicide rates in Oakland and San Francisco and the $267 million the state sent to law enforcement agencies in 2023 to help combat retail and property crimes. He plans to highlight the crime prevention work of the California Highway Patrol in Bakersfield, San Bernardino, Stockton and other cities.

Newsom celebrated that homicide rates reached their lowest levels in decades in Oakland and San Francisco. He pointed to the $267 million in funding the state sent to law enforcement agencies across the state in 2023 to help them combat retail and property crimes. He will promote the California Highway Patrol’s work to reduce crime in Bakersfield, San Bernardino, Stockton and other cities.

His first personal speech in years

This is the first time Newsom has delivered the state of the state to lawmakers in person since 2022. He pointed to his dyslexia on Thursday, saying it makes it difficult to read directly from written text.

“That’s always been something I’ve had to work through,” he said.

In recent years, he has submitted his address in writing to lawmakers, fulfilling the constitutional requirement that he report to the legislature in some form.

He also tried other methods that broke with tradition, including posting a pre-recorded speech online and touring the state to announce policies aimed at addressing homelessness and mental health crises.