Stop Blaming California for Donald Trump

It's Not the Golden State's Fault That Its Diversity and Success Sparked a Backlash

Is California to blame for Donald Trump?

That may seem a preposterous question to ask of a state that voted so decisively against the new American president that it was responsible, all by itself, for his loss of the popular vote. It seems even stranger given California’s near-total resistance to Trump’s presidency, and the way our state embodies so many of the good things—diversity, immigration, international cooperation, and science-based policy—that Trump and his acolytes rage against.

Yet, there has been some finger-pointing at California—by both opponents and allies of the president—as …