Perhaps no two politicians in the United States are such consistent and bitter rivals as President-elect Donald Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Newsom, momentarily floated to replace President Joe Biden in the 2024 race last summer, is hard at work safeguarding progressive plans in his state. His status as the figurehead of a state that is itself an avatar of liberalism has positioned him as the chief Trump foil heading into the president-elect’s second term.
An outbreak of horrifying wildfires in Los Angeles this month also reignited the president-elect’s criticism of Newsom. As thousands of homes burned, Trump responded to the tragedy by spreading conspiracy theories about the state's ill-preparedness. Trump went so far as to call for the governor's resignation in a frenzy of posts to Truth Social. Newsom urged Trump to keep things civil, slamming him for trying to “politicize” the blaze before inviting him to visit the fire-torn state.
The pair’s mutual admonishment is nothing new. Their history is littered with games of political one-upmanship, legal fights and loud, national back-and-forths in service of their policies and parties.
Newsom's governorship of the Golden State began as an early referendum on Trump’s leadership. In his 2018 victory speech, Newsom took jabs at the then-president and the “politics of chaos and…cruelty” that he ushered in, promising future showdowns on issues like immigration and the environment.
Still, Newsom gave Trump a warm welcome later that year when the president came to tour the devastating aftermath of wildfire blazes in Paradise, California – or Pleasure, as Trump mistakenly dubbed it.
After taking office in 2019, Newsom’s relationship with the commander-in-chief deteriorated quickly. A high-profile feud on immigration policy would cast the pair in the roles they've played for more than a half-decade.
The blue-state leader ridiculed Trump’s vaunted plans for a southern border wall, dubbing it “political theater” and withdrawing a contingent of National Guardsmen that Trump had deployed to the border.
Newsom also angered Trump by approving a requirement that presidential candidates on primary ballots in California release their tax records. Newsom signed the bill, a pointed attack on Trump, into law in 2019. As with most legal attempts to wrangle Trump, it amounted to nothing. That law was later struck down by a California court.
The easily flattered Trump often changed tune on Newsom amid moments of cooperation. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump called the governor “very nice & highly supportive” but warned him to stay strong against the “Radical Left Dems, MSDNC, etc.” in a post to Twitter.
The pandemic would soon divide them, with Trump becoming enraged as Newsom and other Democratic governors took measures to stop the spread of the virus. In a May 2020 tweet – which also foreshadowed one of the pair’s most bitter fights on mail-in voting – Trump blasted Newsom for leaving the “restaurants, beaches and stores” closed.
Trump frequently demanded California re-open on an expedited timetable, urging residents to protest disease prevention measures and embracing anti-scientific rhetoric in a ploy to rile up his base.
Later in 2020, Trump attempted to play politics with federal emergency relief funds. The then-president denied Newsom’s request for aid as the state was burning, before later reversing course amid backlash. Trump had laid into California in previous posts to social media, blaming the state for the wildfires brought on by drought. Trump said in 2019 that he wanted the state to "get their act together" blaming supposedly lax forest management for the blazes. He said that he “ordered FEMA to send no more money” to the state until it changed its policies.
It wasn’t the first time Trump had politicized disaster relief: a 2024 report revealed that Trump had initially withheld wildfire aid from Californians in 2018. The report claimed Trump changed his tune once an aide showed him voter data that revealed his millions of supporters in the state.
Democratic leaders labeled the actions “sadistic and depraved,” while Newsom worked with members of the California GOP to secure the funds.
Newsom hit the campaign trail in 2020, stumping for Biden-Harris as Trump sued California for leading a nationwide push for mail-in voting. Again in ‘24, Newsom went all-in for the Democratic Party candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris' loss has re-energized the governor, who during Biden’s term faced slouching popularity and a recall battle. With Trump headed back into office in mere days, Newsom has tasked himself with resisting the incoming administration’s agenda more than just about any other Democratic leader. And Trump, with a trifecta of government control, is all but certain to use Newsom as his blue-state boogieman once again.
Shares