Gov. Newsom says meeting with Pres. Trump at White House over LA wildfire aid was ‘very productive’​on February 6, 2025 at 8:55 am

WASHINGTON — Gov. Gavin Newsom said he had a “very productive” meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House late Wednesday afternoon where the two leaders discussed recovery efforts for the Los Angeles wildfires.

“We’re working across the aisle, as we always have, to ensure survivors have the resources and support they need. Thank you President Trump for coming to our communities to see this first hand, and meeting with me today to continue our joint efforts to support people impacted,” Newsom said in a statement Wednesday.

The governor flew to the nation’s capital on Tuesday to meet with federal leaders as he looks to secure more federal aid for Southern California, in which at least 29 people died. The fires destroyed more than 13,000 structures, contributing to more than $250 billion in total damages, according to weather forecasting service AccuWeather.

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Newsom was the first Democrat to have an Oval Office sit-down since Trump was inaugurated. His office said the governor also met with members of Congress from both parties.

White House officials tell ABC News that the leaders’ meeting lasted for more than an hour.

“I look forward to more productive meetings and I look forward to the spirit that defines the meetings of this day – that spirit of cooperation, collaboration,” the governor said in a video on social media.

It comes almost two weeks after the president toured the damage in Los Angeles, where Newsom and Trump had a cordial exchange on the tarmac upon the president’s arrival.

“We’re looking to get something completed, and the way you get it completed is to work together. He’s the governor of the state, and we’re going to get it completed,” Trump said on Jan. 24 in Los Angeles. “They’re going to need a lot of federal help. We’re going to take care of things.”

VIDEO: Trump’s Central Valley dam water release could signal fight ahead

Critics say splitting California’s dams and aqueducts into dueling government agencies could be dangerous, and potentially deadly.

The friendly exchanges marked a change in the two leaders’ intermittent relationship. Prior to the president’s January visit to the Golden State, Newsom said he had not spoken to Trump since he left office after his first term in 2021.

It remains unclear if Trump will still put conditions on federal disaster relief for California. He and other top Republican Congressional leaders have said they will attach conditions to federal disaster relief, seeking changes to the state’s water policies and forest management, as well as voter ID laws.

The Democratic governor, who has presidential aspirations himself, was one of the leading voices of “resistance” to Trump’s first administration. While the president has signed a barrage of executive orders fueling opposition from the left, Newsom has not been as vocal this time.

At the same time, the governor’s Washington trip comes on the heels of the state legislature signing off on $50 million for expected legal battles with Trump’s administration, a package of bills Newsom is expected to sign once he returns to California.