Trump Heads to LA After Attacking Newsom’s Wildfire Response
(Bloomberg) -- California Governor Gavin Newsom greeted Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday with a gesture of conciliation toward the new president, noting the need for partnership and mutual respect.
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But with Trump set to visit fire-ravaged Los Angeles on Friday, an already-tense relationship is showing no signs of improvement.
The president has made the city’s wildfires a political flashpoint, threatening to withhold federal disaster aid and lashing out at the Democratic governor — whom he derides as “Gavin Newscum” — over California’s policies protecting undocumented migrants. Meanwhile, Trump’s slew of executive orders squarely take aim at issues close to the state’s progressive ideals, from environmental protections to diversity, equity and inclusion.
That puts Newsom, widely considered a Democratic Party standard bearer and potential presidential candidate, in a precarious position. The governor needs Trump to keep billions of dollars in disaster aid, while resisting policies such as mass deportations and threats to birthright citizenship in a state where immigrants make up more than a quarter of the population.
“How does Newsom balance the need to govern and produce for California while showing he’s a progressive leader for the Democratic Party?” said Jim Ross, a political consultant who managed Newsom’s first mayoral campaign in San Francisco. “It will be determinative for Gavin Newsom’s future — how he balances this.”
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Newsom said he has had no contact with the White House about Trump’s visit, but would nevertheless greet him at the airport tarmac. It remained unclear if the leaders would formally meet.
Newsom was not on a list of participants for a planned fire emergency briefing that Trump will hold released by the White House, though Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and eight members of Congress — including Democrats like George Whitesides and Brad Sherman — were included.
Trump, as he departed the White House, said he had not invited Newsom to participate in his visit but hoped he made it to the meeting.
“None of this is personal in any way, shape or form,” Newsom said of his relationship with the president. “It’s just fundamental policy disagreements on birthright citizenship, but on emergency preparedness, emergency management, there should be no daylight between federal administration and state and local representatives.”
Already, Trump’s second term is starting with less resistance than his first. Some of California’s most prominent business leaders, including Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, Alphabet Inc.’s Sundar Pichai and Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, attended the inauguration. In an interview, billionaire Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso said Newsom and Trump should “put politics aside and work together.”
Meanwhile, immigrant-rights activists say Newsom must stand firm against Trump’s deportation push, which could disproportionately impact Los Angeles County, home to more than 800,000 undocumented immigrants.
“We don’t want another Puerto Rico moment,” said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, referencing Trump’s 2017 visit to the island, where he tossed paper towels to a crowd of hurricane survivors. “He made a mockery of the moment and used it to denigrate the people and the leadership.”
Days after Trump’s inauguration, California has entered into clashes with the administration. The state is part of a coalition challenging Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship. Trump’s Department of Justice has been instructed to investigate local officials accused of obstructing the administration’s immigration agenda.
Leading the charge against the president is California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who accused Trump of trying to “bully and intimidate” state officials.
“This is not a time to be timid on the law,” Bonta said in an interview. “We’ll fight back and defend ourselves.”
Fire Tensions
Most pressing for now are funds tied to the Los Angeles blazes, which have destroyed roughly 17,000 structures and claimed at least 28 lives. Property losses from Palisades and Eaton fires may reach $45 billion, according to an estimate by real estate information service CoreLogic Inc. On Thursday, California lawmakers approved a legislative package that would provide $2.5 billion for wildfire recovery.
Before leaving office, former President Joe Biden increased the state’s federal assistance to cover 100% of costs for 180 days. Some Republicans in Congress have called for linking relief funding to new fire-management policies.
On Wednesday, Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity, “I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down into there,” referring to his demand to reroute more water from the state’s north to southern areas, while attacking the governor’s policies.
The president said Friday that he wants the state to address his water demands and require voter ID. “After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen,” he said.
Newsom said that the state’s water project has nothing to do with the fires, which exploded after extreme winds fanned flames in LA’s dry landscape.
“This is situational,” he said Thursday in response to questions over Trump’s attacks. “Don’t color it in any more than it needs to be. I’m here for the long haul to support the president where we can, to defend our values where we must, to have the backs of diverse communities.”
Newsom also said he’s confident the state will get the federal aid needed. “I have all the expectations they’re going to do the right thing,” he said.
As much as California is known as a liberal state, Trump has gained support among residents. He flipped 10 California counties red in the November election. In November, Newsom convened a special legislative session to “Trump-proof” California, which remains ongoing. But he also embarked on a jobs-focused tour of Republican strongholds, while Democrats have acknowledged the need to address the state’s high cost of living.
There are splinters among local Democrats over how to approach Trump’s second term. Some, like Bonta, are leading the Trump resistance, while others, such as new San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, have promised to focus on local priorities.
Caruso, a Republican-turned-Democrat, urged Newsom and Trump to collaborate.
“The problems that we have are too big for politics,” he said. “The county is going to need aid for rebuilding infrastructure. Hopefully, federal resources will be available for that.”
Newsom is no stranger to this balancing act. During Trump’s first term, the two worked together on wildfire prevention and disaster relief. The governor said Thursday that they had a “great” relationship during the Covid-19 pandemic and spoke on the phone on a consistent basis throughout the presidency.
“Trump and Gavin have always had this sort of behind-the-scenes relationship,” said James Gallagher, the Republican leader in the state assembly who represents Paradise, the town destroyed by the Camp Fire in 2018. Gallagher said Trump provided aid when Newsom requested it.
“Trump did everything Gavin asked for,” he said.
But their relationship has deteriorated significantly. Newsom said on Thursday that he hasn’t spoken by phone to Trump since the president left office in his first term, and multiple attempts to contact him since his reelection were unsuccessful.
Gallagher said there’s one way Newsom could smooth the path for federal aid: “It would help a whole lot to stop saying you’re going to sue the president.”
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--With assistance from Skylar Woodhouse and Pierre Paulden.
(Updates with Trump’s new comments on California in 19th paragraph.)
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