California Gov. Gavin Newsom, an all-but-certain candidate for president in 2028, jumped at the chance to address a forum of business executives and other A-list figures last week and burnish his credentials as President Donald Trump\u2019s most vocal critic.<\/p>\n
He excoriated attendees at a New York Times-sponsored event for being too accommodating of Trump, whom he accused of undermining democracy. He even suggested they should acquire the parody kneepads he\u2019s selling, for \u201cgroveling to Trump\u2019s needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of you may need to buy them in bulk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of you are probably fine with it,\u201d Newsom said as he ticked off Trump\u2019s authoritarian policies. \u201cA lot of people figured it out. They know the game, state capitalism, crony capitalism, the great grift. A lot of you are doing extraordinarily well.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was exactly what to expect from someone eyeing the White House, who hopes that positioning himself as Trump\u2019s resistor-in-chief would give him a leg up on other Democratic contenders.<\/p>\n
Politico, a website devoted to politics, quoted an unnamed Newsom advisor as saying his confrontational presentation was deliberate. \u201cSo he came prepared to tell the truth,\u201d the advisor said.<\/p>\n
A day later, Newsom landed in Washington, doffed his presidential candidate hat, donned his gubernatorial chapeau and asked Republicans who control Congress and the White House to give California $34 billion to help Los Angeles County communities recover from deadly wildfires that swept through the region nearly a year ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the fire response has shifted into long-term recovery, the focus now is on rebuilding homes, schools, utilities and critical infrastructure while also supporting small businesses and job growth in the impacted region,\u201d Newsom told congressional leaders in a letter, adding, \u201cAs in past and current disasters, complete recovery is not possible without essential federal aid. The state of California continues to respectfully request a supplemental appropriation for disaster funding to support key programs to aid survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Respectfully? Newsom implies that he can portray Trump and other Republicans as agents of the devil and immediately ask them for many billions of dollars to help his very blue state recover from disaster.<\/p>\n
The two days on the eastern seaboard encapsulate the bifurcated image Newsom will display during his final year as governor \u2014 aggressive candidate for the White House and chief executive of the nation\u2019s largest state.<\/p>\n
There are conflicts as Newsom juggles the two roles, with his pleas for wildfire aid being an obvious one.<\/p>\n
He knows that Trump demands obsequiousness from anyone seeking favors \u2014 exactly what Newsom cited in his New York presentation. The flip side of Trump\u2019s alpha-male psyche is that if flattery is not forthcoming, the seeker will likely be shunned.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in January, the president looked me in the eye on the tarmac at LAX and promised me, and the people of LA, that he\u2019d \u2018take care of it\u2019 as we rebuild and recover,\u201d Newsom said in a statement. \u201cThat commitment isn\u2019t being met, and instead he\u2019s leaving survivors behind. It\u2019s time for Trump to wake up and do his job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Newsom knew that confronting Trump would probably doom any chance California had to get disaster aid. The White House even rebuffed Newsom\u2019s request for a meeting with Trump or other high-ranking officials.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Trump Administration refused a routine wildfire recovery meeting \u2014 a rejection we\u2019ve never seen before \u2014 even as LA families near a year without long-term federal financial help,\u201d Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement. \u201cThe message to survivors is unmistakable: Donald Trump doesn\u2019t care about them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Newsom made a choice, and candidate Newsom prevailed over governor Newsom. As 2026 unfolds, we will see many other conflicts between the two personages. The candidate will probably continue to dominate.<\/p>\n
CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California Gov. 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