Phil Mickelson Drops Snarky Slam at Newsom For Latest Attack on Trump
Professional golfer Phil Mickelson took a swipe at Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom this week, mocking the state’s inability to complete a high-speed rail project that has been talked about for years.
Newsom announced Wednesday on his X page that California would be suing President Donald Trump over his decision to withhold billions of dollars in funding approved by Congress for electric vehicle infrastructure.
“California is filing a lawsuit against President Trump for withholding billions of dollars approved by Congress for electric vehicle infrastructure,” Newsom wrote. “This is yet another Trump gift to China — ceding American innovation and killing thousands of jobs. We are not letting up.”
Mickelson responded Thursday with a jab aimed at California’s expensive and delayed rail project.
“Stay after it governor,” Mickelson posted. “Show him what a great high speed railway system we have and I’m sure he’ll change his mind.”
The California High-Speed Rail project was first approved by voters in 2008. It was originally supposed to offer a convenient land route stretching from Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The state has spent billions on the project so far, but not a single section of track has been completed. USA Today reported last year:
The system was planned to cover 500 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles for $33 billion and be operational by 2020. But the full buildout is now projected to cost as much as $128 billion, according to the authority. It is prioritizing getting an initial 171-mile stretch in central California operational in the early 2030s. And the project is significantly underfunded.
Yet those cost overruns and delays are far less than what is claimed in the post. It is impossible for the Fresno River Viaduct, the 1,600-foot-long structure pictured in the post, to cost $11 billion, based on publicly available information.
In Newsom’s Wednesday lawsuit announcement, his office said he was working toward a “clean transportation future,” which Trump risked jeopardizing.
