SEATTLE — Washington Attorney General and Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson and incoming Attorney General Nick Brown vowed Thursday they’re ready to take on the second Trump administration if it overreaches on abortion rights, mass deportations or a host of other issues.
At a news conference in downtown Seattle, Ferguson and Brown offered few specifics of their plans, but sought to reassure nervous Democrats that the state has their backs.
Ferguson said his office’s attorneys have been preparing for months for the possibility of a Trump win. They’ve gone line-by-line through “Project 2025,” the 900-page policy tome outlining sweeping changes sought by Trump-affiliated conservatives.
Ferguson called that agenda, which Trump tried to downplay during the campaign, “an assault on reproductive rights, health care access, environmental protections” and other state priorities. He also cited Trump’s suggestions, which he termed “deeply un-American,” that he’d use the military against “the enemy within,” referring to political critics.
“A message I just really have for Washingtonians is we’re not just waking up yesterday thinking ‘Oh my gosh there’s a new Trump administration coming in,’ “ Ferguson said. “There has been a lot of work for many, many months from my team to prepare for this.”
Attorneys general in blue states across the country announced they were also preparing for another Trump presidency, which could bring more robust legal fights with a Republican-dominated U.S. Senate and possibly House. California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday called for lawmakers to convene a special session, before Trump takes office, to safeguard the state’s progressive policies.
On a post on X Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee said Washington will continue to “lead on reproductive rights, climate action, immigrant rights, and more.”
“Washington has gone toe-to-toe with Trump before and we’re ready to do it again. Your rights are protected here.”
Ferguson pointed to his office’s record of suing the first Trump administration nearly 100 times — mostly successfully — to block proposals such as a 2017 ban on travel to the U.S. from several Muslim-majority nations. That expertise and the additional attorneys he hired throughout his major expansion of his office’s civil and consumer protection division will come in handy again, he said.
But he cautioned that the second Trump administration is likely to be less sloppy and more disciplined, and may be aided by a more conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ferguson and Brown said they’ll evaluate whatever comes from the Trump White House and will only file legal challenges if they believe they have a strong legal case — not merely because they disagree with a policy.
“The president has a lot of power. That’s the way our system works. That’s appropriate,” Ferguson said.
During the first Trump administration, the president and Gov. Jay Inslee had an adversarial relationship, and Trump reportedly blocked disaster aid to the state after the 2020 wildfire that destroyed the town of Malden out of his grudge against the governor.
Ferguson repeatedly boasted of his anti-Trump record during the recently concluded gubernatorial race, relentlessly linking his Republican opponent Dave Reichert to the former president. But Ferguson insisted Thursday he isn’t seeking a conflict with the incoming administration just for conflict’s sake.
“I pray that the things we’re talking about don’t come to pass,” he said. “If this team never has to file a single lawsuit against the Trump administration, no one will be more happy than me.”
Ferguson said he knows Trump supporters, including families whose kids play on the same sports teams as his daughter. He said he’s visited Rotary Clubs across the state, including in conservative areas.
“I’m mindful … not an insignificant number of Washingtonians voted for Donald Trump, right? I get that,” Ferguson said. “It has to be more than a cliché to say that I’d be a governor for all Washingtonians. It has to be a reality.”
