Despite delivering blistering criticism of California leaders from afar, President Trump shared a warm embrace with Gov. Gavin Newsom and appeared to pledge his support to Los Angeles as he stepped onto state soil Friday for the first time in his second term.
The president said he appreciated Newsom — whom he often publicly derides as “Newscum” — greeting him on the tarmac and promised to help “fix” damages in the fire-ravaged state. “They’re going to need a lot of federal help. Unless you don’t need any, which would be OK,” Trump said shortly after exiting the plane, turning to Newsom with a slight smile. “We’re going to need a lot of federal help,” Newsom assured the president, patting him on the shoulder of his navy suit jacket before Trump pledged to “take care of things.”
Trump’s visit to California offered telltale signs that the president and the Democratic governor may be able to once again pause their perennial war of words in the press and on social media in order to work together during times of crisis.
At issue between the often sparring politicians is far more than personal feelings: California will require billions in federal aid to rebuild, and local and state entities are banking on large-scale reimbursements for their spending.
Newsom was among a collection of prominent California Democrats seeking to play nice with Trump on Friday in Los Angeles. Their friendly overtures marked a dramatic reversal from eight years ago, when the party mounted a “resistance” to his conservative leadership that widened the political divide across the nation.
Now with wildfires raging across the county, working peacefully with the president might boost their political standing.
But the president’s voyage into deep blue California was still tinged with political tension.
The comments to Newsom on the tarmac came hours after Trump sang a very different tune, telling reporters in North Carolina earlier in the day that aid to the state would require a number of conditions, including the adoption of voter identification laws. Newsom sharply rebuked the notion of federal aid hinging on changes to state policy in the days before the president’s arrival.
Trump has also repeatedly blamed Newsom for the wildfires, saying that the governor is at fault for fire hydrants that ran dry in the Palisades fire.
After leaving the governor Friday, Trump doubled down on his focus on water supply and announced that he was signing an executive order “to open up the pumps and valves in the north,” saying he wants to get water pouring into Southern California “as quickly as possible.”
Local water systems were pushed to their limits during the firestorm and a large reservoir in Pacific Palisades was out of commission, drawing state and local scrutiny. But experts have debunked Trump’s claims about a broader lack of water in Southern California.
Until hours before Trump touched down, it was unclear if he and Newsom would even meet face-to-face.
After not responding to Newsom’s calls or invitation to visit the state, Trump agreed to the tarmac welcome from the governor on Friday. The interaction, which marked the first time the two leaders have spoken in person since 2020, was relatively brief.
Newsom was not invited to a freewheeling wildfire briefing that the president held with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and a host of Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
The governor, who built his national profile in opposition to the GOP commander in chief during his first term, has taken a more conflicting approach to Trump in recent months. Newsom has alternated between preemptive attacks, such as his call for a special session to increase state legal funding to fight Trump, and pleas for civility and cooperation.
Bass, by contrast, has employed a far more careful and conciliatory tone with the head of state.
At previous fire briefings, the mayor studiously avoided taking the bait on any questions about possible tensions with Trump, instead maintaining that she was “not worried” about the incoming president having any animosity toward the state.
While Newsom was loudly decrying a lack of communication with the incoming administration, Bass said she’d had a “fine call” with his staff and touted her good relationships with former legislative colleagues close to Trump.
Part of this is deeply ingrained style. The former six-term congresswoman is a decidedly unshowy politician who wields her power discreetly — a quiet bearing that has been the topic of harsh criticism during this crisis, when many Angelenos appeared to crave louder and more forceful leadership under fire.
But that same understated mien, which is so unlike Newsom’s flash, could also make Bass particularly well-suited to deal with a volatile president whose support will be necessary to not just rebuild the city but also prepare for a handful of incredibly high-profile and resource-intensive events on the horizon.
Los Angeles is slated to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the Super Bowl in 2027 and the Summer Olympics in 2028.
Bass, who was seated in a prominent position next to First Lady Melania Trump during the fire station briefing, thanked Trump for arriving in the city so soon after his inauguration and pushed back on his charge that the city would slow-walk rebuilding efforts.
“I want you to know that we are expediting that. We absolutely need your help,” Bass told the president.
The president’s visit came during a moment of acute political vulnerability for the mayor.
Bass was at an embassy cocktail party in Ghana when the Palisades fire exploded earlier this month and remained out of the city for the first 24 hours of the firestorm — an absence that provoked intense criticism.
She has stanched some of the vituperation in recent days, though questions about her political future leading the nation’s second-largest city still remain. A collaborative relationship with the White House, let alone one that guarantees that federal dollars keep flowing into city coffers, would let Bass shift her own political narrative after the crisis.
