President Trump had kind words for Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was in the audience for his speech at Davos — despite the two clashing publicly throughout the week at the World Economic Forum.
“I know Gavin was here. I used to get along so great with Gavin when I was president [the first time]. Gavin’s a good guy,” the president said.
“We did help them a lot in Los Angeles, a lot … early in my term, when they had some problems. But we would love to do it. I will say this, if I were a Democrat governor, or whatever, I would call up Trump, I’d say, ‘Come on in [and] make us look good,’ because we’re cutting crime down to nothing,” he added.
Earlier in the week, Newsom publicly sparred with Trump administration officials in Switzerland, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who blasted the governor as “smug” and “economically illiterate” after Newsom mocked his comments on housing and retirement.
Newsom, who is weighing a 2028 presidential bid, criticized Trump on Tuesday when he spoke to reporters at Davos and accused European leaders of bending the knee to the American president.
“Diplomacy with Donald Trump? He’s a T-Rex — you mate with him or he devours you,” Newsom said, drawing sharp rebukes from the White House.
“Gavin Newsom should stop undermining the United States on the world stage and start fixing his own broken state back home,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai exclusively told The Post.
Trump also took aim at Newsom’s leadership of California, saying, “I hate the way it’s being run,” during a White House press conference marking one year since he took office for his second non-consecutive term.
“I had a very good relationship with Gavin Newsom when we were in office together,” the president added. “Somewhere we just went astray. I just hate the way California is being run.”
