After nearly two weeks of scrambling cross-country, California Gov. Gavin Newsom waited alone Friday on the outside steps of Air Force One to welcome President Trump to Los Angeles as the wildfires hit.
It was not clear how the meeting would go. Mr Trump often referred to the governor as a “newscom”. And Mr. Newsom accused Mr. Trump of launching an attack on the 14th Amendment by signing it An executive order ending birthright citizenship.
But after Mr. Trump exited the plane and slowly made his way down the steps, the two men greeted each other with a long, warm handshake and a clash of shoulders. Mr. Trump then brought Mr. Newsom with him to speak to waiting reporters.
“I appreciate the governor coming out and meeting me,” Mr. Trump said, wearing a dark blazer and an “America Great Make Again” baseball cap. “Too much.”
Mr. Newsom, dressed in blue jeans and a denim, button-down shirt, echoed the sentiment. “Thank you for being here. It means a great deal. “
It is hard to imagine two officers who are more ideologically different. If Mr. Trump is the leader of conservative America, Mr. Newsom is one of the foremost leaders of liberal America. They both give flavor to their respective roles.
Ahead of the trip, the White House released a long list of California government officials who will meet with Mr. Trump later at a firehouse in Pacific Palisades. This included Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Mr Newsom was not on the list, and went to the airport himself. Carolyn Levitt, Mr. Trump’s press secretary while on air, said she was surprised to hear Mr. Newsom greet Mr. Trump.
“That’s news to me,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him there. And I’m sure the president does too. “
Any hostility was put together with the tarmac in their short time. Mr. Trump thanked Mr. Newsom for meeting with him, and Mr. Newsom recalled how the White House helped California during the Covid pandemic during Mr. Trump’s last term.
“We’re going to need your help,” Mr. Newsom said. “You were there for us, during Covid, I will not forget it and I have every hope that we will be able to work together for a speedy recovery.”
Mr. Trump bowed his head. “We’re going to do it.”
Before he arrived, Mr. Trump said he would extract concessions from California on water use and a voter ID law that Democrats are very likely to resist as conditions of federal aid. Mr. Newsom said he hoped the federal government would treat California the way it has treated other states hit by natural disasters. But that policy battle did not materialize during their brief meeting.
“We need your support,” Mr Newsom said.
Mr. Trump responded warmly to the governor’s olive branch.
“We’re looking to finish something,” Mr Trump said. “The only way you get anything done is if you work together.”
Mr. Newsom and Mr. Trump seemed to have reached a similar conclusion, at least for now: Americans are looking for cooperation rather than conflict after the fire. They seemed to be reading from the same script throughout their brief meeting at the airport and later speaking to reporters.
“They’re going to need a lot of federal help,” Mr. Trump said, taking a slight swipe at Mr. Newsom. “Unless they don’t need any?”
“We need your help,” Mr Newsom said. He turned back to the camera. “I have all the confidence in the world that we will work together.”
