The tarmac meeting between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump just off Air Force One at LAX Friday highlighted their problematic dynamic amid one of America’s costliest natural disasters.
Despite Trump’s history of deriding him as “Newscum” and calling for his resignation over the fires, Newsom greeted the president with a warm handshake and embrace. “We’re going to need your support,” Newsom told Trump. “You were there for us during COVID. I have all the expectations we’ll be able to work together for a speedy recovery.” Interestingly enough, Trump appeared pleased with the deference, telling Newsom, “You’re a great guy,” and promising to “take care of things.”
Behind the cordial exchange lies Newsom’s hands-on crisis management—spending 12 of the last 15 days in a mobile operations center while combating both ongoing fires and falsehoods streaming out of conservatives looking to undercut the governor during an ongoing disaster. His office launched a dedicated website to counter misinformation, while he signed $2.5 billion in state recovery funds and ordered investigations into infrastructure failures.
Trump’s initially cordial, then wildly unserious press conference that followed revealed a stark contrast in leadership approaches. He made numerous inaccurate claims about California’s water management, including a nonexistent “water restoration declaration” and false statements about reservoir levels. State water officials confirm Southern California’s reservoirs remain well-supplied.
The president also incorrectly blamed state policies for fire hydrant failures that officials attribute to infrastructure and pressure problems, not water availability. His claim that FEMA lacks funding was similarly unfounded—the agency currently has $27 billion available for disaster relief. “The issues have nothing to do with what amount of water we have stored within the region,” said Mark Gold, water scarcity director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The Metropolitan Water District has a record amount of water stored at this time.”
Newsom’s approach to the crisis has earned praise from unlikely quarters. Even before arriving in California, Trump’s team hadn’t responded to Newsom’s invitation letter or included him in the official visit plans. Yet Newsom showed up anyway, demonstrating what one adviser called an “open hand, not closed fist” approach. The governor’s team has tracked 81 false narratives about the fires’ causes and responses, with millions of social media engagements. “We’re dealing with two wars: the fires and the deluge of bullsh*t,” a Newsom adviser told CNN.
The contrast between Newsom’s detail-oriented crisis management and Trump’s loose relationship with facts prompted social media reaction, with political commentator Alex Cole tweeting: “Newsom looks more presidential than Trump.”
The dynamic poses broader questions about accountability in political discourse, particularly as California—a state with extremely specific issues and needs not facing other states—grapples with immediate humanitarian needs in places like Altadena or Pasadena (neither of which Trump visited) and Pacific Palisades (where he did go) superseding partisan sparring. With billions in federal aid at stake, the state’s recovery may depend on Newsom’s ability to navigate Trump’s demands while maintaining focus on facts-based solutions.
Published: Jan 26, 2025 02:28 am