WE ARE PREPARED, MY FRIENDS, TO FIGHT BACK
New York Attorney General Letitia James responds to former President Trump winning 2024 presidential election.
Thank you all for coming, and thank you, Governor, for convening us. I want to take a moment to thank everyone who ran for office—those who were victorious and those who didn’t achieve the results they worked for. Running for office is one of the most difficult things anyone can do, and our democracy is stronger because of your efforts.
We also achieved a significant milestone in our work to protect the right to choose in New York. I want to thank Sasha Aoua and Donar Liman from the ACLU for all their efforts in helping us reach this point. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to enshrine that right in our Constitution, securing it for generations to come.
I also want to thank New Yorkers for showing up at the polls in record numbers, exercising one of the most fundamental and sacred democratic rights. Lastly, I congratulate the President-elect, Donald Trump, and if possible, we will work with his administration, but we will not compromise our values, our integrity, or our principles.
We did not expect this result, but we are prepared to respond to it. My office has been preparing for several months because we have faced this kind of challenge before. We have used the rule of law to stand up in the past, and we are ready to do so again. As the Attorney General of this great state, my duty is to protect and defend the rights of New Yorkers and uphold the rule of law, and I will not shy away from that responsibility.
Between 2019 and 2021, the Office of the Attorney General took nearly 100 legal actions against the previous Trump administration, including opposing efforts to cap state and local tax deductions and eliminate funding for law enforcement in New York. We fought to preserve DACA, protect the Affordable Care Act, and prevent a citizenship question on the census, which would have impacted New York’s funding. We defeated the Muslim ban, halted the dismantling of the U.S. Postal Service, challenged anti-LGBTQ+ policies, safeguarded environmental protections, defended reproductive rights, and protected the right to organize. Working with our Democratic colleagues nationwide, we defended these basic rights around the clock.
We know their playbook. We understood Project 2025 even before it was published, and both my office and Democratic attorneys general across the country have been preparing to respond to any attempts to roll back our rights. We’ve studied their platforms, identified potential scenarios, and developed contingency plans. No matter what the next administration throws at us, we are ready. We’re prepared to counter their attacks and any attempts to cut or eliminate funding to the state of New York, as outlined by the governor.
Despite what’s happening on the national stage, we will continue to stand tall against injustice, revenge, and retribution. We will continue to protect the most vulnerable and marginalized among us, as it is my sworn duty to lead that fight, working alongside Governor Kathy Hochul. Now is not a time for fear, New York, but for faithfulness and steadfastness. As Attorney General, along with my entire team, we are guardians of the law, and we are prepared, my friends, to fight back.
Thank you.
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