Former President Donald Trump unveiled a new nickname for Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) during a highly anticipated visit to the southern border, dubbing the California Democrat “NewScum.”
Trump, speaking from Eagle Pass, Texas, on Thursday, bragged about how the border under his administration was the “most secure” in history and bashed states such as California for giving incentives to illegal immigrants, specifically calling out Newsom.
“We had the most secure border, and people weren’t coming because they knew they wouldn’t get in. And we weren’t promising free education, free medical, free everything. I mean, all the promises that are made, no wonder they come,” Trump said.
“Look at what this governor, NewScum from California. Isn’t that his name, ‘NewScum’? What he’s done to California is unbelievable. People are pouring in, think they will get medical aid. And our soldiers, our [veterans], aren’t being taken care of, but people that come into our country illegally are,” he added.
Newsom and Trump have gotten along surprisingly well in recent years, but the new nickname from the former president shows a strain between the two. The California governor slammed Trump as embodying “weakness masquerading as strength” during his appearance on NBC News’s Meet the Press on Sunday.
In an interview on Fox News last year, Trump said he got along great with Newsom during his presidency.
“He was always very nice to me. He said the greatest things. He would say things like ‘Oh, he’s doing a great job,’” Trump said. “That’s why I could never hit him because he was so nice to me.”
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Trump and Newsom worked together in 2020 when the Golden State was facing historic wildfires.
The two had previously shared a common enemy, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who had pitted himself as the opposite to Newsom, a blue state governor, and was a presidential primary opponent to Trump. Newsom had leaned into Trump’s criticisms of DeSantis to hurt the Florida governor, while Trump had also boosted Newsom’s jabs against DeSantis.
