US President Donald Trump has said he is “astounded” that California Governor Gavin Newsom is considering a run for the White House.
“I’m amazed Gavin wants to run,” Trump told The California Post in an Oval Office interview on Friday, the New York Post reported.
Trump’s remarks came after his administration sued California over sanctuary cities, accusing the state of fraud and clawing back federal funding.
Trump, who owns a golf course in California, has made it clear he is not a fan of the Newsom-led state.
“People love the California dream, but they hate what’s happening to them,” Trump said.
The state needs “proper leadership”, he added, arguing that they are not getting it with their current governor. “Gavin is incapacitated,” he said.
According to the report, Newsom has 24% support among Democrats, compared to former Vice President Kamala Harris (21%), former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (11%) and New York City Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (8%).
Trump predicted that Newsom’s record in California would haunt him on any campaign trail, particularly his “train to nowhere” high-speed rail project to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco.
Trump also said his relationship with Newsom has gone from friendly in his first term to “hopeless” now.
“I used to get along with him, but now it’s kind of a hopeless situation. They’ve gone radical left. They’re crazy,” he said.
Newsom, who is considering a 2028 White House bid, was in Davos, Switzerland, at the same time Trump was at the World Economic Forum.
