Trump and Newsom clash over wildfires, but California governor says he will work with president
With President Biden now in political retirement, California Governor Gavin Newsom is quickly becoming one of President Trump’s top targets.
And Trump, minutes into his second term as president, used his inaugural address inside the US Capitol to take aim at the Democratic governor of the nation’s most populous state.
“Our country can no longer provide basic emergency services,” Trump claimed. And he pointed to “Los Angeles, where we are looking at fires still burning tragically from a few weeks ago without any sign of defense.”
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President Trump delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Trump has repeatedly criticized Newsom’s handling of the horrific wildfires that have devastated parts of the country this month metropolitan Los Angeles, killing nearly 30 people and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.
POLITICAL FIRE: NEWSOM DEFENDS ITS EFFORTS TO FIGHT HORRIBLE CALIFORNIA FIRES
The governor’s press office quickly responded, posting four photos of firefighters battling the blazes on social media.
Trump will head to California on Friday to get a firsthand look at firefighting and recovery efforts.
“I’m going to go there on Friday to see it and bring it back,” Trump said at an inauguration rally in the capital. “We’re going to get some of the best builders in the world. We’re going to bring it back.”
Newsom, who called Trump more than a week ago to Californiasaid in a statement on Monday after inauguration ceremony“I look forward to President Trump’s visit to Los Angeles and his mobilization of the entire federal government to help our fellow Americans recover and rebuild.”
And he emphasized “finding common ground and pursuing common goals” with the Trump administration.
“In the face of one of the worst natural disasters in American history, this moment underscores the critical need for partnership, a shared commitment to the facts, and mutual respect — values that enable civil discourse, effective governance, and meaningful action,” the governor said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom tours the Pacific Palisades Central Business District on January 8, 2025 in Los Angeles. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
Newsom added that “where our shared principles are aligned, my administration stands ready to work with the Trump-Vance administration to provide solutions and serve the nearly 40 million Californians we collectively represent.”
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Newsom was the main surrogate in the 2024 election campaign for Biden and later former Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee last summer.
The governor, who is term-limited and likely has national ambitions in 2028, was a vocal critic of Trump in the 2024 campaign and took the lead in leading the Democratic Party’s resistance after Trump’s presidential victory.
