Gavin Newsom calls Trump administration ‘weak’ six months after LA wildfires
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
FIRE RECOVERY FIRST
In January, as wildfires ravaged Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged to work with President Donald Trump despite their political differences as authorities battled flames that burned thousands of homes and claimed 30 lives.
On Monday, Newsom called the administration and its congressional allies “weak” and “pathetic” for prioritizing their anti-immigration agenda over helping California, whose $40 billion reimbursement request for cleanup costs remains unfulfilled.
The governor lashed out at a press conference in Pasadena marking the sixth month anniversary of the wildfires as federal immigration agents carried out a raid in MacArthur Park, causing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to miss the presser. She confronted Gregory Bovin, the El Centro sector Border Parol agent carrying out the White House’s deportation agenda in Los Angeles, over the phone.
Agents carrying assault rifles, and others on horseback, stormed the park on Monday morning, which has been the site of pro-immigrant rallies. The “spectacle” created a strongman image that Newsom said highlighted the administration’s “cruelty.” Bovin taunted Bass by telling a reporter he didn’t work for her and that the raids, spearheaded by Trump adviser and Santa Monica native Stephen Miller, were going to become “normal very soon.”
“Tough guy. He does work for us,” Newsom said. “He may want to check his pay stub. He’s a public servant.”
Newsom also criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson for not standing up for California, even though the state has sent aid to Johnson’s Louisiana district during wildfires and has sent help to Texas, where deadly floods killed at least 100 people.
“I maintain that posture in strong support of Governor Abbott and the people of Texas,” Newsom said. “I’ll reinforce that in a red state where I’ll land this evening and tomorrow, in strong support of their request, in the South. And I will be there. We will be there on behalf of the American people, on behalf of the State of California, 40 million Americans are here.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Only a weak person puts on a show like that.”
— Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday’s immigration raids in MacArthur Park
Best of The Bee:
▪ Californians get larger state and local tax deductions under Trump’s big bill, via David Lightman
▪ Under California dense forest lurks hidden history. Fire helped reveal it, via Ishani Desai
▪ California will not block trans athletes from school sports, defying White House, via Lia Russell
This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 4:55 AM.
