Just two days before Air Force One landed in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom isn’t sure if he’s welcome to join President Donald Trump’s wildfire tour.
The Democratic governor is willing and able to meet with the Republican president on Friday in Southern California, according to Newsom’s office. But the White House has given the Democratic governor no indication of his plans. In fact, Newsom’s team claims to only know about the president’s visit “from sources.”
The uncertainty just hours before Trump’s arrival underscores the complex relationship between two of the country’s most formidable political rivals. Newsom, in particular, is going through a crisis that could jeopardize his state’s recovery and his presidential ambitions.
Newsom portrayed Trump as a particularly dangerous threat to American democracy during much of last year’s presidential campaign. And Trump regularly calls the governor “scum” — or, to be exact, “Newscum.”
“I don’t know,” Trump said Wednesday when asked by Fox News if he would meet with the governor. “I didn’t even think about it.”
In recent weeks, Trump and his allies – including billionaire Elon Musk on his X platform – have attacked Newsom’s leadership and sometimes encouraged misinformation on California’s response. And House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested there should be conditions on federal wildfire aid to force changes in California.
“It’s a very difficult balance for him,” said Jack Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College in California. “As governor of California, he must work with the president to secure federal aid for the state. As a national political figure, he feels pressure to attack Trump. It’s difficult to do both at the same time, especially with a president with very thin skin.”
There are urgent needs created by one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.
The fires, which had been largely contained, flared again Wednesday when a massive, fast-moving wildfire erupted in the mountains north of Los Angeles. More than 14,000 structures have already been destroyed in Los Angeles County and at least 28 people have died. The recovery effort could be among the costliest in U.S. history and will require collaboration between the Trump and Newsom administrations.
Hours before heading to California, Trump is expected to visit parts of western North Carolina, still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, another major natural disaster during which the president criticized Democratic leaders.
Newsom’s office had not yet received anything from the White House as of Wednesday afternoon. The governor is scheduled to travel to Southern California that day and hopes to meet with the president, according to Newsom spokesman Bob Salladay.
“So far, we have not heard from the White House regarding Friday’s trip,” Salladay said. “We will be happy to meet with the president if it works.”
There is precedent for them appearing together. After another terrible fire in 2017, Trump appeared alongside Newsom, who was the governor-elect.
The head of a state struck by disaster; the potential leader of the Democratic Party
Newsom, 57, is term-limited as governor and is already considered a leading 2028 presidential candidate. He also needs Trump and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill to provide massive disaster relief to to rebuild his state.
Allies currently believe Newsom will ultimately launch a Democratic presidential campaign after leaving office at the end of 2026. But they recognize that his long-term political prospects will be shaped by how he handles the current crisis.
To that end, the notoriously media-friendly Newsom has largely avoided any political discussion in recent weeks. He has spent 12 of the past 16 days at the scene of the fires in Southern California, according to his office. He has also issued 12 decrees so far intended to speed up the recovery, including bypassing certain regulations.
Newsom released a letter last week to Republican congressional leaders calling for expedited disaster relief “without conditions or prolonged negotiations.” Republican leaders, backed by Trump, have indicated they will likely place conditions on the funding, although details have not yet been announced.
Already, some potential political allies beyond California fear that Newsom’s brand will be tainted by Republican criticism.
“Newsom is able to punch Trump, as if he isn’t bowing. And so I think he has the strength that people are looking for in leadership,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a rising Democratic star who wants her party’s 2028 presidential candidates, like Newsom, are playing a more important role in national affairs. .
“But it will really depend, I think, a lot on how the narrative gets around the fires and whether or not people can be fooled into believing that this guy can’t take care of us when we’re facing disaster, natural or otherwise,” Crockett said of Trump’s criticism of Newsom. “It’s a very delicate space for him to navigate.”
From “evidence against Trump” to “common ground”
Indeed, since the fires broke out in Los Angeles earlier this month, Newsom has almost entirely abandoned the anti-Trump rhetoric he promoted throughout the last presidential campaign.
In recent days, the Democratic governor has shifted the focus of a special legislative session intended to “test” California, as some have described it, to prioritizing the state’s response to the fires. Newsom also joined Johnson, the House speaker, and some Republican governors across the country. order that American flags be raised to its full height on the day of Trump’s inauguration.
Newsom issued a respectful statement on Trump’s inauguration day, calling for “common ground.”
“In the face of one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, this moment underscores the critical need for partnership, a shared commitment to facts, and mutual respect – values that enable a civil discourse, effective governance and meaningful action,” Newsom said. .
There is one major exception.
Newsom and his team pushed back against obvious instances of misinformation from Trump and his allies about the response to the fires, which flooded social media and consumed the time and energy of the governor’s staff. Newsom’s office says more than half of all recent media requests are directly linked to baseless conspiracies.
The governor also created a website to combat misinformation from Trump and his allies.
And although he tried to avoid a direct confrontation with Trump, Newsom did not ignore Trump’s false statement in his inaugural address that California’s “fires are still tragically burning for weeks without even a sign of defense.” “.
“It’s absurd. But it’s also insulting,” Newsom wrote in a message to his supporters. “The courage and heroism of firefighters across California, the United States and even North America helped prevent a tragic wildfire from becoming something completely unimaginable for many. other families. »
He added, “I look forward to President Trump’s visit to Los Angeles and his bringing the full weight of the federal government to bear to help our fellow Americans recover and rebuild.” »
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AP writers Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles and Sophie Austin in Sacramento, Calif., contributed.
