Newsom Declares That ‘Cannabis Is Now Legal’ After Trump Mistakenly Calls Him ‘President Of The United States’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) didn’t waste much time seizing on
President Donald Trump’s latest slip-up, when he mistakenly called the
Californian “president of the United States” during Oval Office remarks in
which the incumbent otherwise disparaged the Democrat. Playing into the
gaffe, Newsom said legalizing marijuana was among the “many big
announcements” his White House was making.

Trump drew criticism on Monday when he said “a president should not have
learning disabilities,” referring to Newsom’s much-anticipated run for the
Democratic ticket in 2028 and the fact that the governor has been candid
about his dyslexia, a learning disability that makes reading and spelling
difficult.

Newsom, who has taken to taunting Trump by assuming the president’s
bombastic writing style on X, responded with another all-caps post where he
accepted the designation as U.S. president and listed a variety of
administrative actions he’d be taking.

That included firing controversial figures in Trump’s White House,
launching an investigation into the Trump administration, ending
commercials for broadcasts of sporting events and reality TV shows and
advancing a progressive policy agenda that involves cannabis reform.

“HEALTH CARE IS NOW FREE FOR ALL AMERICANS (NO MEASLES!) AND ALL MOMS GET
FREE CHILDCARE SO WE CAN HAVE MORE BABIES!!! ALSO CANNABIS IS NOW LEGAL AND
ABORTION IS BACK FOR WOMEN WHO WANT IT,” Newsom said. “THE COUNTRY IS NOW
RUN BY SOMEONE WHO CAN ACTUALLY COMPLETE A SENTENCE. AMERICA IS NOW ‘HOT’
BECAUSE YOU HAVE A DYSLEXIC PRESIDENT INSTEAD OF A BRAIN-DEAD ONE. BIG
UPGRADE!!!”

NOW THAT I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM, AM OFFICIALLY PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
(THANK YOU DONALD!), I HAVE MANY BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS TO MAKE! FIRST, EVERY
TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER IS NULL AND VOID, STEPHEN MILLER AND EVERY TRUMP GOON
IS FIRED, AND THE TRUMP CORRUPTION PROBE IS OFFICIALLY…

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) March 17, 2026

After Marijuana Moment’s article about Newsom’s comments was published, it
was shared by a “Newsom News” account, and that post was later quoted by
the governor himself.

“ENJOY, AMERICA!” Newsom said.

ENJOY, AMERICA! https://t.co/ReKh2rOI0t

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 17, 2026

The governor similarly called for marijuana legalization in a separate post
mocking Trump during a federal government shutdown last year, pledging to
enact the reform as “leader of the free world.”

Newsom was one of the first high-profile politicians to endorse
legalization years before voters in his state moved forward with the reform.

Trump, for his part, signed an executive order in December calling on
Attorney General Pam Bondi to expediently complete the process of moving
marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substance Act
(CSA), but that hasn’t happened yet—nor would that federally legalize
cannabis.

Back in California, the governor last October vetoed a bill that would have allowed
certain marijuana microbusinesses to ship medical cannabis products
directly to patients via common carriers like FedEx and UPS, stating that
the proposal “would be burdensome and overly complex to administer.”


*— Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug
policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon
supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps,
charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.*


*Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on
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Newsom did sign a bill earlier that month aimed at streamlining research on
marijuana and psychedelics.

In September, the governor also signed a measure into law to put a pause on
a recently enacted tax hike on marijuana products.

Meanwhile, California officials recently awarded nearly $30 million in
grants for marijuana-focused academic research projects.

*Image element courtesy of Gage Skidmore.*

The post Newsom Declares That ‘Cannabis Is Now Legal’ After Trump
Mistakenly Calls Him ‘President Of The United States’ appeared first on Marijuana
Moment.