WASHINGTON — President Trump will trek to California on Tuesday for a fundraising trip, part of a two-day West Coast swing where he will tout his work on the economy and take a few jabs at Gov. Gavin Newsom.
During his swing through California, he will headline a Republican National Committee dinner at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles and then head to Las Vegas, Nevada, to deliver remarks on the economy at Red Rock Casino.
The purpose of the trip is to spotlight his economic accomplishments and crackdown on crime – along with raising money for the Republican Party – but he’s also expected to target Newsom, the state’s Democratic governor.
“President Trump will visit California on Tuesday to tout his wins for the people of the Golden State despite failed Democrat leadership: the largest middle-class tax cut ever, the most secure border in American history, and a plummeting crime rate,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told The Post.
“The President will draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom, who keep raising taxes, inviting rampant fraud in taxpayer-funded programs, and protecting illegal immigrant drug dealers, rapists, and murderers.”
Trump has painted liberals as communists and socialists — an attack line designed to rally his base and one Republicans see as a winning message headed into November’s midterm election.
California only has a couple of competitive House races this fall. But Newsom is expected to use Democrats’ strong standing in the state to launch a 2028 presidential bid. He has not been shy about his ambition. Nor has he held back when it comes to attacking Trump.
But Trump is just as fierce. The two men frequently exchange barbs on social media. And Trump has nicknamed the governor “new-scum.”
Tuesday marks Trump’s second visit to California in his second term. He came to the state his first week in office to see damage from the wildfires. Newsom met him upon arrival and gave him a personal tour.
But in the months that followed, the two men began a fiery public relationship characterized by biting one-liners designed to capture attention online.
Newsom has accused the president and his administration of coming after him and his wife legally, weaponizing the Justice Department to hit them with financial and tax-related cases.
Trump, meanwhile, has criticized Newsom’s tenure in the state and has withheld billions in federal highway funds after delays on a high-speed rail project.
The president’s last official visit to California took place on Jan. 24, 2025, when he toured the aftermath of the wildfires that ravaged the Los Angeles area.
During that trip, he signed an executive order aimed at fast-tracking reconstruction efforts in the Eaton Canyon and Pacific Palisades areas.
This time, a top agenda item for Trump’s visit will be promoting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Republicans have since worked to rebrand as the Working Families Tax Cut Act.
On average, federal tax refunds in California jumped from $3,344 in 2025 to $3,848 in 2026, according to data shared by the White House.
Ahead of his visit to the Golden State, the White House is touting how international migration into the state dropped some 70% from July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, the sharpest decline in US history.
Additionally, crime has plunged 7% in 2025 relative to the year prior in California, and Los Angeles saw a 20% decline in murders.
Over recent months, the Trump administration’s Anti-Fraud Task Force, which is led by Vice President JD Vance, has launched numerous investigations and taken several law enforcement actions against alleged swindlers in the state.
Nevada, where Trump will visit Wednesday, was what he has deemed the “birthplace” of his “no tax on tips” idea, which he claims came up during a conversation with a waitress at a restaurant.
The mega law he backed allows service workers to deduct up to $25,000 on qualified tips from their income taxes between 2025 and 2028.
Nevada is a service industry-heavy state, and its tax refunds jumped up from $3,643 to $4,193 — an increase of roughly 15% from the mega law, according to data shared by the White House.
This year, Nevada has had the fourth-highest average tax return in the country.
Additionally, murder in Nevada has dropped 22.5% in 2025 relative to the year prior, and murder in Las Vegas, specifically, has fallen 20% during that timeframe.
