California Governor Gavin Newsom denied Monday that the White House has provided coronavirus aid to his state depending on whether Newsom asks President Trump directly for help and publicly thanks him for it.
Newsom’s denial comes in the wake of a New York Times report over the weekend that Trump’s son-in-law and aide Jared Kushner told one of Newsom’s advisers that “Federal aid would depend on the governor would do him a favor. ” Aid Bob Kocher told the newspaper that Kushner’s words implied that Newsom had to ask the White House for help.
The report also claims that Newsom had to publicly thank the president and reference a press conference on April 22 in which the California governor praised Trump for accepting his request for help.
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Newsom rejected claims made in the story, saying he was grateful for federal aid, but that “no one told him to express” his thanks.
“No one told me that. No one asked me that, “Newsom said when questioned by reporters. “I expressed my gratitude, but no one told me to express it.”
The California Democrat, however, acknowledged that “there may have been a conversation” between Trump officials and his staff.
The relationship between Newsom and Trump, which has been punctuated by very public disputes over everything from climate change to immigration, seemed to soften during the pandemic. Newsom thanked the administration, including Vice President Mike Pence, for the help California received to combat the pandemic. For his part, Trump praised the cooperation between Washington and Sacramento, and would refer to Newsom as “Gavin” during his press conferences as part of the coronavirus workforce.
The mutual praise, especially Newsom’s comment “promise made, promises kept” after receiving coronavirus testing swabs, raised eyebrows among many Democrats and prompted calls that the governor was feeding Trump’s ego.
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Speaking during a CNN interview in April, Newsom dismissed criticism of his praise for Trump, arguing that now is not the time for partisanship.
“This is not the time to argue. I don’t care who goes up and down, whose polls look better than someone else’s or who wants to run for president or who doesn’t,” Newsom said. “When it comes to times of crisis, we need [rise] above partisanship and I have always held out an open hand, not a closed fist, in those circumstances. And this is no different. “
He added: “But let me be honest with you. I would lie to you to say that it has not responded to our needs. It has, and therefore, as a question, as a kind of offer of objectivity, I have to acknowledge that publicly.”
Fox News’ Joseph News Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
