Tag: 2017 California wildfires

Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom lobbed a rare compliment at President Trump, saying he’s grateful the president has never “played politics” with disaster declarations following major wildfires in California or last year’s Oroville dam emergency. Last month Newsom, Trump and Gov. Jerry Brown toured the Camp Fire in Butte County, which burned more than 18,000 structures and killed 85 people, as well as the Woolsey Fire in Southern California that killed three people. “We’re grateful for his time and attention. We’ve had some followup — not direct conversations, but indirect. I think there is a sincerity to help, and we are grateful for that.” Those measured words are far from the barbs that the two have been trading this year. Trump has called Newsom a “clown” who wants to allow unlimited immigration into the United States. During his campaign for governor, Newsom called the president “a small, scared bully.” Newsom said he “got a little grief” on the campaign trail when he complimented Trump for keeping politics out of disaster declarations. We’re going to get it done.” Newsom isn’t ready to declare a thaw in their deep-freeze relationship yet. But he says he’s taking it “tweet by tweet, day by day.” Melody Gutierrez is The Chronicle’s Sacramento bureau chief.