Frenemies: Newsom comes hat in hand to meet Trump at White House

Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump — who person precise visibly traded governmental occurrence but who besides person worked unneurotic — conscionable astatine the White House connected Wednesday arsenic the California politician fights to unafraid much wealth for radical and businesses devastated pursuing past month's deadly wildfires successful metropolitan Los Angeles.

The travel is the archetypal by Newsom to Washington, D.C., since Trump took implicit successful the White House and is portion of his efforts to get further national backing to assistance successful wildfire betterment from the horrific blazes that killed 29 radical and destroyed implicit 12,000 homes and forced tens of thousands to evacuate.

Newsom arrived successful the nation's superior connected the eve of his sojourn to the White House, and hours up of the gathering helium headed to Capitol Hill to clasp abstracted meetings with members of Congress.

The politician traveled eastbound a time aft California lawmakers approved $25 cardinal successful ineligible backing projected by the Democratic politician to situation actions by the Trump administration. And the legislature besides allocated different $25 cardinal for ineligible groups to support undocumented immigrants facing imaginable deportation by caller Trump medication efforts.

TRUMP MEETS WITH CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, FIRE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO SEE LA WILDFIRE DAMAGE FIRST HAND

Gov. Gavin Newsom departed California connected Tuesday to conscionable with President Donald Trump and members of Congress to sermon national catastrophe assistance pursuing the devastating wildfires successful Los Angeles County. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

Newsom came to Washington, D.C., chapeau successful hand.

Late past month, the politician approved $2.5 cardinal for occurrence betterment work, which helium hopes volition beryllium reimbursed by the national government. 

And the authorities volition apt request overmuch much assistance from the national government, arsenic the measure to screen rebuilding costs is expected to scope into the tens of billions of dollars.

"The Governor’s travel is focused connected securing captious catastrophe assistance for the survivors of the Los Angeles fires and ensuring impacted families who mislaid their homes and livelihoods person the enactment they request to rebuild and recover," spokesperson Izzy Gardon said successful a statement.

After the outbreak of the fires aboriginal past month, Trump repeatedly criticized Newsom's handling of the immense crisis. He has accused the politician of mismanaging forestry and h2o argumentation and, pointing to aggravated backlash implicit a perceived deficiency of preparation, called connected Newsom to measurement down.

"Gavin Newscum should resign. This is each his fault!!!" Trump charged successful a societal media station connected Jan. 8, arsenic helium repeated a derogatory sanction helium often labels the governor.

Trump besides placed blasted for the deadly wildfires connected Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, different Democrat, and the policies approved by authorities lawmakers successful heavy bluish California. In an enforcement bid issued past month, helium described absorption of the state's onshore and h2o resources arsenic "disastrous."

Despite remaining affable successful person, Newsom and Trump often commercialized blows connected societal media. (Pool)

Newsom — the politician of the nation's astir populous state, 1 of the Democratic Party's leaders successful the absorption against the returning president and a imaginable White House contender successful 2028 — pushed backmost against Trump, arsenic the 2 larger-than-life politicians traded fire.

Disputing Trump, the politician noted that reservoirs successful the confederate portion of California were afloat erstwhile the fires archetypal sparked, and has argued that nary magnitude of h2o could tackle fires fueled by winds of up to 100 miles per hour.

Newsom besides charged Trump had dispersed "hurricane-force winds of mis- and disinformation."

NEWSOM CALLS TRUMP'S CLAIMS 'PURE FICTION' AFTER HE POINTED FINGER OVER CALIFORNIA FIRE TRAGEDY

Trump met with Newsom arsenic helium arrived successful Los Angeles precocious past period — conscionable 4 days aft his inauguration arsenic president — to survey the occurrence damage.

Trump had threatened to withhold wildfire assistance until definite stipulations were met successful California, including changes to h2o argumentation and requiring an ID to vote, but present appears consenting to enactment with Newsom.

"Thank you archetypal for being here. It means a large woody to each of us," Newsom told Trump arsenic helium greeted the president upon his accomplishment successful Los Angeles past month. "We’re going to request your support. We’re going to request your help." 

The president declared that "we're looking to get thing completed. And the mode you get it completed is to enactment together."

The aftermath of the deadly Palisades Fire successful Los Angeles, California, connected Jan. 10, 2025. (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)

The wildfires are acold from the archetypal clip Newsom and Trump took purpose astatine each other. Their animosity dated backmost to earlier Trump was elected president the archetypal clip successful 2016, erstwhile Newsom was California's lieutenant governor.

The verbal fireworks continued implicit the past 2 years, arsenic Newsom served arsenic a apical surrogate connected the run way for erstwhile President Joe Biden and past erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden arsenic the Democrats' 2024 standard-bearer past summer.

Following Trump's convincing predetermination triumph implicit Harris successful November, Newsom moved to "Trump-proof" his heavy bluish state.

"He is utilizing the word ‘Trump-Proof’ arsenic a mode of stopping each of the GREAT things that tin beryllium done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I conscionable overwhelmingly won the Election," Trump responded.

Since their gathering successful Los Angeles, Newsom has appeared to beryllium much restrained successful his disapproval of Trump.

Following Trump's orders, the US Army Corps of Engineers past week opened 2 dams successful Central California, letting astir 2.2 cardinal gallons of h2o travel retired of reservoirs.

Trump celebrated the determination successful posts to Truth Social station connected Friday and Sunday, declaring, "the h2o is flowing successful California," and adding the h2o was "heading to farmers passim the State, and to Los Angeles."

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But h2o experts reason that the recently released h2o won't travel to Los Angeles, and it is being wasted by being released during California's usually bedewed wintertime season.

Newsom, seemingly aiming to rebuild the moving narration helium had with Trump during the president's archetypal word successful the White House, didn't rise immoderate objections to the h2o release.

Fox News' Christina Shaw, Elizabeth Pritchett, Pat Ward, and Lee Ross contributed to this story.