(RepublicanJournal.org) – If you had to write a list of former president Donald Trump’s supporters, it’s a safe bet California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) wouldn’t be at the top of it. It might be time to rethink that, though. The notorious liberal has come to Trump’s defense over his recent indictment — and added some surprising facts about their political relationship.
Newsom Surprises Hannity
On June 12, Fox News broadcast an interview with Newsom and presenter Sean Hannity, and the subject of Trump’s June 8 indictment on classified document mishandling charges soon emerged. When Hannity asked the governor for his reaction to the news, instead of jumping on the anti-Trump bandwagon, Newsom replied, “It was sad — and I say that as an American.”
In an era where politicians always seem to put party before country, it’s unusual to hear a comment like this, especially from a liberal Democrat like Newsom. After all, he hasn’t hesitated to criticize other Republicans — and even Trump himself — in the past.
On June 7, he blasted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), one of next year’s GOP presidential hopefuls, for sending illegal immigrants to California. But, given the chance to attack Trump over the document allegations, he chose to put the country first.
It seems Newsom and Trump might not be the bitter political rivals most would expect, though. Despite Trump being a conservative and Newsom being a liberal Democrat, the governor had good things to say about their cooperation during the first year of the pandemic. He told Hannity he had an “open hand” from the president and said the two had “an incredible relationship.” Newsom said Trump “played no politics… whatsoever” with his state during the pandemic.
Newsom’s ability to work together with Trump during the pandemic didn’t please all the governor’s fellow Democrats. In fact, he picked up some criticism from people in his own party because he didn’t attack the president, he told Hannity.
An Unlikely Relationship
If anyone still doubts that Trump and Newsom get along fine despite their political differences, they should listen to the former president’s own words. In an April interview with Tucker Carlson, the then-Fox host set up his questions to let Trump attack Newsom — but he refused. Instead, he told Carlson, “I used to get along great with him when I was president.” He added, “He was always very nice to me. He said the greatest things,” and told the stunned host, “That’s why I could never hit him because he was so nice to me.” Of course, if rumors of a Newsom presidential run turn out to be true, that niceness might not survive 2024.
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