After White House visit, the governor says he wants a fresh start to replace ‘noise.’
Click Here to Subscribe to the California Political Review
WASHINGTON — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s official reason for visiting Washington this week was to shore up federal disaster aid in response to the Los Angeles County wildfires.
But the Democratic governor of California also had another objective: to continue to repair his rocky relationship with the commander in chief.
“There’s a familiarity, and there was a relationship that was born of a crisis around COVID,” Newsom said in an interview Thursday, adding that President Trump came through for California during the pandemic. “I wanted to go back to that space.”
The governor described his 90-minute sit-down with the president in the Oval Office on Wednesday as “a real and substantive” and “positive” conversation that included wildfire recovery and more thorny topics, such as water policy and the bills on Newsom’s desk to increase legal funding to challenge the president’s actions in court.
Newsom’s expedition into the Republican White House shows the evolution of his approach to Trump: from a Democratic fighter and outspoken critic during a bruising election cycle to a statesman eager to move past the “noise” and forge a path to work together to benefit Californians.
“In a time of need and crisis, people need to see their representatives working together,” Newsom said. “I have no patience for people not working together in a crisis.”
As a top Democrat in a nation that elected Trump in November, crossing party lines and rebuilding a bond with the same guy who nicknamed him “Newscum” and previously blamed him for the wildfires could also help his political career if the governor has presidential ambitions of his own. The visit Wednesday appeared to be the president’s first meeting with any Democratic governor in his second term.
“This isn’t Newsom’s first rodeo and he recognizes this isn’t going to be his last disaster,” said Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College. “If he’s going to be an effective governor, he has to keep lines of communication to the White House open. If he doesn’t, he won’t be an effective governor, and that will make it hard for him to advance politically.”
The relationship between Newsom and Trump appeared to improve in real time two weeks ago when the president visited Los Angeles to survey wildfire damage.
Newsom tapped his shoes as he patiently waited on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport to greet and embrace the president. Minutes after Newsom praised Trump, the president pledged to support the wildfire recovery without any mention of conditions he threatened to demand in exchange for aid earlier in the day.
“When we got off the tarmac, I felt like we were in the middle of a conversation we had 4½ years ago,” Newsom said about the shift back to congeniality during their first in-person talk since Trump returned to office.
After the brief airport chat and a 30-minute phone call the next day, Trump’s daily barrage of criticism of the governor has mostly stopped. Newsom has been careful not to immediately react to everything Trump says or does, but also walk the fine line of speaking out when he feels California’s values are under attack.
“This is a next-level and complicated charm offensive,” said Robin Swanson, a Democratic consultant.
Newsom isn’t alone. Other governors around the country are also trying to figure out how to thread the needle with the president, said Gar Culbert, a political science professor at Cal State Los Angeles.
“The Trump administration is trying to demonstrate the strength of the federal government at the expense of the states and Newsom wants the state to be independent and exercise some amount of sovereignty, but it is also reliant on federal funding for a whole lot slew of projects and programs,” Culbert said.
Newsom is attempting to resume the same delicate balance he struck at the beginning of his first term.
As lieutenant governor in 2019, he walked through the charred remains of Paradise, Calif., with then-President Trump and then-Gov. Jerry Brown after the deadliest wildfire in state history. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the next year, forcing Newsom, as governor, to rely on Trump to tap into the nation’s supply of protective equipment and to seek other federal support.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing Wednesday afternoon that Trump “enjoyed” his trip to survey the remains of the Pacific Palisades fire.
“He felt very inspired by the frustration of the residents there, and he has been wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that the water is flowing in California to prevent these wildfires, and also that people have access to their properties,” Leavitt said, adding that the president “has continued to apply tremendous pressure” on Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to allow people to return to their private properties.
Pacific Palisades reopened for residents last week, though a curfew is still in place, and cleanup of the debris is underway.
“The president is willing to work with anybody from blue states or red states to do what’s best for the American people,” Leavitt said.
Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for Newsom, said federal aid for the wildfires is largely supporting individuals who were affected.
WHAT???????? critical need for federal assistance to support the recovery efforts and help families rebuild,
EXCUSE ME, A State that has irrationally spent on HSR projects that never will run at speed. A State that will not only let but offer illegals to vote and given welfare. A State Democrat one party government that runs up over 1/4 $BILLION deficit now wants MORE Federal Money because the Dem’s cannot balance the home budgets let alone the State’s?
He wants what the broken Biden promised …. Good Luck.
Now why do you vote D?
Really???
On one hand he’s begging for help because his political career is on the line. On the other, he’s biting the hand that feeds with his $50 million dollar lawfare effort using CA tax dollars to upend Trump’s policies in court. This guy can’t go away fast enough.
Be nice if he just put the citizens of California first and his “political” aspirations in his back pocket.
Sorry – but no way in hell will he EVER do that!!!!! Not is a bazillion years. Didn’t you see how he abused CA citizens during the scamdemic???? He learned a lot from his “piggy” aunt!
It’s appropriate that the President offer financial support to the victims of a disaster. How about giving every resident who lost their entire home $50,000 to start the process of cleaning up and rebuilding? And another $50,000 to help with downpayment for a new home or to help pay off their mortgage on the one that burned down but didn’t have enough insurance to cover the balance? That’s only $10 million for 100 residents or $100 million for 1000 residents, not that much money in the billion-dollar world we live in now. Let Newscom sway in the wind.
I also believe nothing should be given to the government directly, since they cannot seem to document how they spend their money in CA. The funds should be closer to the citizens than to the commies in Sacramento.
Newscum is way more part of the problem than you know!!!! There would be FAR less fires if he wasn’t soooo interested in his hair gel and more interested in the welfare of the state.
After the recent NorCal storms, Today: 2-7-25 a portion of the sacramento river is flowing into the diversion to the delta and pacific ocean named, the yolo bypass.
This right after gruesome cut an x order to collect storm water.
Reflects how well he knows the state water project design.
Most all excess storm water flows to some creek, river or the sea except for a few municipal holding ponds like the ones in Fresno.
Look at most coastal street storm drain and read the stenciled Warning: Don’t pollute the sea.
Carl DeMaio of Reform California and State Representative for District 75 in the San Diego said today that President Trump is cutting off federal funding to California Sanctuary Cities, DEI programs, and more — and California’s liberal politicians are outraged, doubling down on their plans to “Trump-Proof” the state.
OK – IF 2+2=4 – – – and LA is one of those cities – AND LA just about burnt to the ground – AND NO ONE is being held accountable – – – hmmmm-m-mm- – – – smelling a demonrat yet????
Authors run in to patch the Newsom side of the rift – but fail to point out Newsom has done little substantive to improve the fire risk and insurance risk situations that have further deteriorated since that wonderful moment he shared with Trump at Paradise in 2019. He may have created more government jobs and payroll at CalFire.
This article makes it sound like Newscum has turned over a new leaf. I get the heebie geebies thinking about how psychopathic he is. It was just a few weeks ago that we watched his shoulder-dancing smiling performance in Pacific Palisades where he was giddy at the thought of “reimagining” Los Angeles (also known as utopian 15-minute cities). If Trump caves into him, I’ll be very disappointed to say the lease. Like another commenter said here, give the money to the citizens.
Re imagine this -Bozo. Put an egg in your shoe and beat it. The Best part of Mexico is…California!
Trump and Doge are busy turn off government spending and sending money to State of Cali would be worse than any wasteful spending items you saw scrolling by on the news over at USAID dept.
Newsom is already really the de facto President of North Mexico and as such, he should request some foreign aid from Mexico. No one in their right mind would ever give Gavin a dollar.
For every ONE dollar you give Newsom, he will make California Residents Pay Ten. It’s called the Give One Get Ripped For Ten deal. Gavin is a nice name. He inspired me to name my first Anal Polyp after him.
Trump needs to tell Gavin that he doesn’t need money- he needs to surrender and re-join the union (America). Make California Part of America Again. The Prosperity Un-leashed by Trump across America will be extinguished by Democrat Hate.
The Democrats are working hard to protect us from Safety and Prosperity. CA has no water, no brains, no commonsense and no brake pedal on stupid ideas.
Gavin does not know how to fix the insurance problem in CA- nor does he even care about it. The Swash buckled Democrats charge around in circles slashing at the wind as they curse Trump and his adoring fans.
They should change the name of the YOLO bypass to the DODO by pass.