Calexit is gaining momentum as Californians disgruntled about Donald Trump's presidential election win eye the possibility of seceding from the nation.
The movement, led by the Yes California Independence campaign, hopes to put a citizen’s initiative on the 2018 ballot, according to the group's website.
Louis Marinelli, president of Yes California, tried unsuccessfully to get nine initiatives related to secession on a statewide ballot in 2015, Business Insider reported. Tuesday's election has added momentum to the issue.
Hyperloop co-founder Shervin Pishevar released a series of tweets Tuesday night calling for California to secede from the U.S., stating that he would fund a Calexit campaign following Trump’s White House victory.
One of Pishevar’s tweets read: “If Trump wins I am announcing and funding a legitimate campaign for California to become its own nation,” The Guardian noted.
He reiterated his plans to fund Calexit when talking to CNBC after Hillary Clinton officially conceded the election to Trump.
“It’s the most patriotic thing I can do,” he said, adding that the resulting nation would be called New California, CNBC noted.
“We can re-enter the union after California becomes a nation. As the sixth largest economy in the world, the economic engine of the nation and provider of a large percentage of the federal budget, California carries a lot of weight,” he said.
Pishevar received support from voters and others.
Voters in nearby Oregon and Washington, who also voted for Clinton, gave their support, and some even said the entire west coast should secede, not just California, CBS SF Bay Area noted.
Some voters in other states joined in as well, not with the #Calexit hashtag though, but with hashtags such as #NYExit and #Texit, CBS noted.
Angel investor Jason Calacanis also offered support to a California succession, claiming that the process would be easy after seeing Trump become our president-elect and after Brexit, The Guardian noted.
Others voiced how difficult it would be for California to secede from the U.S.
According to the International Business Times, Yes California Independence Campaign planned to hold an event in Sacramento on Wednesday to discuss an initiative that would allow California to secede from the U.S. by 2020.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.