Newsom and Trump are telling the wrong stories about Native America

By Kerry Malloy, special to CalMatters

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Native American Heritage Month brings attention to how we relate to issues that are important to Indigenous people. Below: A research assistant specializing in Native American history describes how US political leaders disrespect Native American governments. Another view: A former museum curator describes how museums and universities ignore ancestral remains and tribal artefacts instead of returning the objects.

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Governor Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump rarely agree on anything. Their feud continued for years immigration raids, forest fire assistance and on moral direction of American democracy.

Yet this month, their rivalry led to an unlikely harmony. Within days of each other, one issued a message and the other a recognition proclamation Indian Heritage Month.

of Trump message wrapped the praise of the native peoples in patriotism and national unity. “As we prepare to celebrate 250 glorious years of American independence, we honor the generations of Native Americans whose service has strengthened our country,” the White House said in a statement.

of Newsom proclamation uses the language of empathy and inclusion: “As Californians navigate federal policies affecting our communities … we shine a light on this nation’s first people—often forcibly relocated to this state by such federal policies throughout history—who nevertheless found ways to persevere, resist, and thrive.”

Despite their contrasting tones, both rely on the same story: Native peoples exist in the United States, not as nations whose sovereignty precedes it.

Each statement extols durability but ignores it political connection that defines it. Both portray indigenous peoples as participants in the American project, not as governments that still have authority over their lands and citizens.

In different registers, the progressive governor and the populist president are performing the same act of erasure, turning the first peoples of this land into symbols of American virtue.

Newsom’s proclamation goes further than most. It describes forced relocations, boarding schools and assimilation policies that aimed at indigenous peoplesand he honors their cultural revival.

Yet through the amalgamation of the original native nations of California with the indigenous peoples who moved here from other states, the text blurs a critical distinction: California’s tribes are not guests the state has “embraced”; they are sovereign governments on their own land.

The Proclamation’s tone of benevolent inclusion allows California to appear enlightened without addressing its ongoing responsibilities, from unrecognized tribes to land and water rights that are still contested today.

Trump’s statement takes a simpler route to the same destination.

Crediting Native Americans for bolstering “the greatness of our nation,” he folds them into a single patriotic narrative that leaves no room for self determination. It extols survival while asserting US dominance—the familiar pattern of celebrating diversity while denying power.

These messages matter because policy statements shape how the public understands California’s and the nation’s relationship with Native nations.

When political leaders speak of “heritage” but not “sovereignty,” they are encouraging citizens to see indigenous peoples as part of the past instead of governments still wields power in the present.

This misunderstanding has practical consequences. Tribal governments rule throughout the state burns, restoration of riverswork education and health systems and lead climate adaptation projects that benefit all Californians. Yet when sovereignty is ignored, these partnerships are treated as charitable collaborations rather than government to government obligations.

For non-native Californians, this isn’t just history; it’s about how our country is run today. A building fire resistant landscapes, drought management and growth management depend on respecting tribal authority and knowledge. Recognition without authority is not reconciliation; it’s continuity by another name.

If Native American Heritage Month is to mean anything, it must mark a shift from ceremony to accountability. California can honor indigenous peoples not by congratulating itself on incorporation, but by deepening partnerships with the sovereign nations whose lands make this state possible.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.