Newsom touts 'working relationship' with Trump as California seeks disaster declaration

Aug. 22--SACRAMENTO -- A day after Gov. Gavin Newsom lambasted President Donald Trump for his response to the wildfires ravaging California, the governor touted his private working relationship with the president and thanked his administration for continuing to send aid.

"There's not one phone call that I have made to the president where he hasn't quickly responded," Newsom said at a news conference Friday. "He may make statements publicly, but the working relationship privately has been a very effective one."

The change in tone comes as the state seeks a major disaster declaration from the president.

On Thursday, Trump criticized California's handling of the wildfires, which have scorched over 600,000 acres, threatened 75,000 homes and businesses, and forced 115,000 people to flee.

"And I see again, the forest fires are starting," he said. "They're starting again in California. And I said, 'You've got to clean your floors. You've got to clean your floors.'"

Trump went on to suggest he might withhold aid. "Maybe we're just going to have to make them pay for it, because they don't listen to us," he said. "We say you got to get rid of the leaves."

Newsom derided the president's claim in a video appearance at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.

"The president of the United States threatened the state of California, 40 million Americans who happen to live here in the state of California, to defund our efforts on wildfire suppression because he said we hadn't raked enough leaves," Newsom said in the video.

On Friday, however, Newsom said he was "grateful for the support we've received so far," including five fire management assistance grants. He also pointed to a new partnership between the state and the U.S. Forest Service to increase vegetation management.

"I am not convinced that the president was aware of that new memorandum of understanding that his administration signed with the state of California to collectively invest an unprecedented amount of resources to address the concern he highlighted," Newsom said. "Had he been aware of that, I'm not sure he would have made that statement."

As far as his remarks in his video appearance, Newsom said, "I thought it was necessary under the circumstances."

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