(Image Credit: IMAGN) Jan 16, 2025; Altadena, CA, USA; The remains of St. Mark?s Episcopal church and school in Altadena, California. Mandatory Credit: Megan Smith-USA TODAY
Washington D.C. – President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested that California’s request for $40 billion in long-term wildfire relief could be in jeopardy, citing his ongoing feud with Governor Gavin Newsom over immigration protests in Los Angeles.
When asked by reporters outside the White House whether his disagreements with the Democratic governor might influence federal aid decisions, Trump was candid. “Yeah, maybe,” he said. “It could impact. You know, hatred is never a good thing in politics. When you don’t like somebody, you don’t respect somebody, it’s harder for that person to get money if you’re on top.”
Trump also revived a derogatory nickname for the governor—“Newscum”—a sign that what began as a policy dispute has morphed into something more personal. The president’s comments followed a week of heightened tensions between the two leaders, sparked by Newsom’s lawsuit challenging Trump’s deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles amid immigration-related protests.
Those demonstrations, triggered by a series of federal immigration raids, have escalated in recent weeks, drawing national attention and testing the boundaries of state and federal authority. Clashes between protesters and law enforcement have intensified pressure on both administrations. However, they appear to be moving in opposite directions—Newsom pushing for local control and Trump asserting federal dominance.
The governor responded sharply on social media, writing, “Sucking up to the President should not be a requirement for him to do the right thing for the American people. These are families who’ve lost their homes, their belongings — the irreplaceable pieces of a life built over decades, reduced to ash. Only a truly disturbed person would threaten to withhold aid from victims because they don’t like someone.”
California has already received some emergency assistance from the Biden administration following the devastating fires that tore through the region in January. However, the larger, long-term recovery package—amounting to $40 billion—is still pending, working its way through Congress before landing on Trump’s desk for final approval.
The breakdown between Trump and Newsom marks a dramatic shift in their relationship. Earlier this year, Newsom had taken a notably cooperative tone with the president, even welcoming him to Los Angeles for a tour of wildfire damage and engaging in a private Oval Office meeting. But Trump’s decision to impose new tariffs in April—disrupting California’s critical international trade economy—followed by his deployment of military forces to manage civil unrest, has hardened Newsom’s stance.
As the political battle escalates, the fate of California’s wildfire recovery hangs in the balance, with federal disaster relief seemingly caught in the crossfire of a deepening partisan rift.
