{"id":32672,"date":"2026-08-17T10:28:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T14:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=32672"},"modified":"2026-08-17T10:28:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T14:28:21","slug":"gavin-newsom-warns-detroit-church-trump-wants-to-take-america-back-to-pre-1960s-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/08\/gavin-newsom-warns-detroit-church-trump-wants-to-take-america-back-to-pre-1960s-world","title":{"rendered":"Gavin Newsom Warns Detroit Church Trump Wants to Take America Back to ‘Pre-1960s World’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Matt Gush \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

California Gov. Gavin Newsom brought a sharply political message into a Detroit church Sunday, warning congregants that President Donald Trump and Republicans want to take America back to a “pre-1960s world.”<\/p>\n

Speaking<\/a> at Fellowship Chapel, a prominent Black church in Detroit, Newsom initially framed his remarks around the relationship between faith and action.<\/p>\n

“The reverend reminds us, people are struggling, people are suffering, and that it’s not just faith, it’s works,” Newsom told the congregation. “As we pray, we have to move our feet.”<\/p>\n

But his remarks quickly turned political.<\/p>\n

“I don’t want to get political, reverend, but we have an invasive species in the White House,” Newsom said, referring to Trump.<\/p>\n

“These guys are ruthless; they want to bring us back to a pre-1960s world,” he continued. “They want to put America in reverse.”<\/p>\n

Newsom argued that gains made over generations involving civil rights, voting rights, interracial marriage and LGBTQ rights are at stake. He also accused the Trump administration of “rewriting history” and aimed at the political movement against diversity, equity and inclusion programs.<\/p>\n

“Anti-woke is nothing more than anti-Black,” Newsom told the congregation.<\/p>\n

Newsom told churchgoers that Democrats “have your back,” while arguing that the larger issue goes beyond partisan politics. Invoking the biblical book of Isaiah, he said Americans are called “to be repairers of the breach.”<\/p>\n

“And that’s what we’re all here to do,” he said.<\/p>\n

The church appearance came during a broader Michigan swing in which Newsom campaigned for Democratic candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. His visit included efforts to support Democrats seeking competitive state House seats and Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. Michigan is expected to be an important battleground in determining control of Congress this fall. (San Francisco Chronicle<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Newsom’s visit also comes as speculation continues to mount about a potential 2028 presidential campaign. The California governor has increasingly raised his national profile while positioning himself as one of Trump’s most vocal Democratic opponents. (San Francisco Chronicle<\/a>)<\/p>\n

His decision to deliver such pointed partisan criticism from a church pulpit also highlights the continuing role religious congregations can play in American political life, particularly during election years.<\/p>\n

Newsom’s message left little doubt about how he views the stakes of November’s elections. While speaking in a house of worship about faith, works, and a passage from Isaiah, the governor used the moment to make a direct political case against the president and urge his audience to resist what he described as an effort to turn back decades of social change.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

California Gov. Gavin Newsom brought a sharply political message into a Detroit church Sunday, warning congregants that President Donald Trump and Republicans want to take America back to a “pre-1960s world.” Speaking at Fellowship Chapel, a prominent Black church in Detroit, Newsom initially framed his remarks around the relationship between faith and action. “The reverend…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":32675,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nGavin Newsom Warns Detroit Church Trump Wants to Take America Back to 'Pre-1960s World'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gavin Newsom warns a Detroit church that Trump wants to return America to a "pre-1960s world" during a campaign stop.\" 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