California is launching a largely symbolic attack at President Trump.
On Tuesday, the state's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law mandating that presidential candidates release at least five years of tax returns before they can appear on a primary ballot, former Newsom deputy chief of staff Yashar Ali first reported in his newsletter. It's an obvious attack on the record-withholding president, but it probably won't have much of an effect for the GOP incumbent running in an incredibly blue state.
The law Newsom signed would require any candidate for president or California governor to submit at least five years' worth of tax returns to California's secretary of state at least 98 days before a primary, The Associated Press reports. The returns would then be posted online for the public. As Ali puts it, "it's fair to say that Trump will not comply with the disclosure requirement" and won't get on the 2020 primary ballot. But seeing as he has no major challengers from his own party, Trump probably won't need California's help to get the Republican nomination. Every major Democrat running for president, meanwhile, has already complied with the new law.
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Former Gov. Jerry Brown (D) declined to sign a similar bill in 2017, suggesting it could lead to a path where birth certificates and other compounding documentation was required to get on a ballot. New York state also recently tackled Trump's tax returns, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signing a law that requires the state to hand over public officials' tax returns if they're requested by one of three congressional committees. New York's law is currently wrapped up in a lawsuit with Trump.
