A Trump close reading

Jan 27, 2025

Presented by California Resources Corporation / Carbon TerraVault

Donald Trump talks with Gavin Newsom.

President Donald Trump talks with California Gov. Gavin Newsom after arriving on Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Jan. 24, 2025. | Mark Schiefelbein/AP

THE BUZZ: ‘SAME GOAL’ — President Donald Trump’s hours in Los Angeles offered the clearest window yet into his thinking about the fires, and provided important signs of where his relationship with California is headed.

He and Gov. Gavin Newsom hugged it out Friday on the tarmac at LAX after not speaking for years, but it was Trump’s increasingly friendly words toward California that offered some semblance of hope to state Democrats that they might be able to repair ties with Washington for long enough to rebuild Los Angeles. But as with all things Trump v. California, peace could turn to conflict on a dime.

Here are some of Trump's comments that could prove most instructive for the weeks and months ahead.

Playing nice: “I decided to be nice” to Newsom, Trump told reporters of his meeting with the governor, who was waiting on the tarmac when Air Force One landed. “It was nice that he came to the plane. … And in the end, we have the same goal: We want to take that catastrophe and make it as good as possible.”

After the hug and multiple handshakes, Trump and Newsom’s relationship seems to be back on track — at least for now. We’ll see if that lasts, after Newsom signs into law a deal to send $50 million to the California Department of Justice and immigration nonprofits to fight the White House in court.

“I actually always got along with him well, until fairly recently,” Trump said.

New POV: “I don't think you can realize how rough it is, how devastating it is, until you see it,” Trump said at a roundtable with Mayor Karen Bass and other officials. “I didn't realize — I mean, I saw a lot of bad things on television — but the extent of it, the size of it. … It is devastation. It's incredible. It's really an incineration.”

California officials accomplished one of their main goals: showing the president the scale of the damage in Los Angeles. Trump saw it firsthand in a helicopter ride over some of the burn areas, offering California electeds potent evidence for their argument for federal support.

"He's somewhat dismissive of California as a state, and yet showed real sympathy to some of the people who lost their homes,” Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) told reporters Friday evening.

Tone shift: “There can be no Golden Age without the Golden State,” Trump said at a late afternoon briefing in Los Angeles, where he emphasized the importance of readying the city for World Cup matches in 2026 and the Olympic Games in 2028. “We’re going to have a big celebration soon. We’re going to come back, and we’ll come back as much as you need, and we’re going to turn it around.”

That positivity marked a change from Friday morning, when Trump called for California to alter its water and elections policies in exchange for federal aid — a reminder of how the president’s rhetoric can shift on an hour-by-hour basis. That unpredictability will keep California officials guessing (again) during his second term, especially as the state’s congressional delegation navigates aid talks with the president in the coming weeks.

But the president’s change in tone throughout the day inspired confidence among his supporters that he will come through for California when all is said and done.

“He seems to have a way of coming out with a bombastic statement that has some facts behind it,” state Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones, who attended Trump’s visit and wants federal aid that is not conditioned on unrelated policy priorities, told Playbook.

“That's how he gets the attention on these issues,” he added, “and then if you look at his history, he always seems … to take care of the people.”

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California's carbon capture future is here! With federal approval of the Golden State's first Carbon Capture and Storage project — led by California Resources Corporation (CRC) — our state is at the forefront. While other companies give up on California, CRC is eager to partner with Governor Newsom to meet California's climate goals. Approval of CCS in Kern County is an historic opportunity to lead on climate, while creating good-paying clean energy jobs. Let's get to work. Learn more.

ON THE AGENDA

SPECIAL SESSION — The Assembly Budget Committee will hear bills containing $25 million for a legal defense fund to help the attorney general’s office fight Trump’s administration in court and $25 million for nonprofits to assist immigrants facing deportation and detention. The Senate passed the legislation last week.

FLOOR SESH — The Assembly will hold its floor session at 1 p.m., followed by the Senate at 2 p.m.

ON THE HILL

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: LOOTERS BEWARE — Democratic Reps. George Whitesides and Ro Khanna plan to introduce legislation that would make it a federal crime to loot in fire-torn areas or commit arson that starts or spreads a wildfire.

It’s a response to alleged criminal activity around the Los Angeles fires but also a sign of how Democratic officials are shifting right on law and order issues in California.

“Californians want public safety. They want to make sure that we are standing with our law enforcement,” Khanna told Playbook, “that there's no smash-and-grabs, that there are no auto jackings, that there's no looting, that we're prioritizing safety.”

Arson and looting are, of course, against state law, but adding them to federal criminal code could bring in federal law enforcement support and lead to longer sentences for violators, Khanna said.

It may be a challenge to move a Democrat-carried bill through the Republican trifecta, but the representatives are banking on bipartisan animus toward looting in Los Angeles and elsewhere to push the legislation through the House.

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LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass listens as President Donald Trump participates in a briefing in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood affected by recent wildfires.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass listens as President Donald Trump participates in a briefing in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood affected by recent wildfires in Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. | Mark Schiefelbein/AP

BASS UNDERWATER — A new poll from DecipherAi’s David Wolfson shows 54 percent of Angelenos disapprove of Bass’ response to the fires, while only 37 percent approve. The survey simulated a hypothetical 2026 election matchup between Bass and her 2022 foe, Republican-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso, and found Caruso up by seven points.

The poll was conducted Jan. 19-22 and had a 4 percent margin of error. Los Angeles media firm Madison McQueen commissioned it, but not on the behalf of an existing client, firm President Owen Brennan told Playbook. Madison McQueen has cut ads for Republican Rep. John Duarte, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and other elected officials.

“Rather than follow predictable partisan patterns, voters in LA are fed up with failure and are demanding more competence from their elected officials,” Brennan said in a memo.

“If I were Rick Caruso,” Brennan told Playbook, “I’d build a campaign team, declare my candidacy for mayor, and get to work showing Los Angeles what real leadership looks like.”

CAMPAIGN YEAR(S)

A HEALTHY SPEND — Health advocacy group Protect Our Care has launched a $10 million ad campaign to pressure 10 vulnerable House Republicans against cutting Medicaid funding. It’s targeting California Reps. Ken Calvert, David Valadao and Young Kim, running ads in their districts warning of veterans and children with disabilities losing health care.

The campaign is running cable, broadcast and digital spots with an emphasis on areas around nursing homes and rural hospitals where patients rely on Medicaid. Its goal is to influence the votes of enough battleground officials to block any federal budget legislation that would trim disadvantaged people’s benefits. The strategy is reminiscent of similar campaigns run in the Central Valley during the 2010s, when advocates were fighting attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

“The lawmakers in this campaign know that their neighbors rely on Medicaid every day,” Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach said in a statement. “The American people want their representatives to do more to lower costs and improve care — not rip it away from those who need it most.”

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CLIMATE AND ENERGY

MR. FIXIT: Trump hugged Newsom during his visit to Los Angeles last week, took photos with firefighters, had a testy exchange with Bass and vowed federal help for the state’s recovery. Read more about what he said and what’s next in Friday’s California Climate.

Top Talkers

YOU’RE FIRED — Sen. Adam Schiff criticized Trump for firing 18 inspectors general on Friday night.

“Yeah, he broke the law. Not just any law, but a law meant to crowd out waste, fraud and abuse and, yeah, the remedies congress has,” Schiff said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We have the power of the purse, we have the power right now to confirm or not confirm people for Cabinet positions that control agencies or would control agencies whose inspectors generals have just been fired.”

Federal law requires a 30-day notification to Congress before any inspector general can be removed.

OUT OF TIME — Hochman said Friday that Marilyn Manson will not face criminal charges for a series of sexual assault and domestic violence allegations because the statute of limitations had run out, the LA Times reports.

“We recognize and applaud the courage and resilience of the women who came forward to make reports and share their experiences, and we thank them for their cooperation and patience with the investigation,” Hochman said in a statement.

“While we are unable to bring charges in this matter, we recognize that the strong advocacy of the women involved has helped bring greater awareness to the challenges faced by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.”

AROUND THE STATE

— Trump and the Republican Party made waves in California among young voters in the 2024 election. (CalMatters)

— Chinese Company DeekSeep has introduced a specialized model that has deeply impressed Marc Andreessen, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who has been advising Trump. (Wall Street Journal)

— San Francisco is considering some controversial ballot measures, including congestion pricing and curb fees for ride-hailing companies, to save Muni and BART. (San Francisco Standard)

— Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire reappointed Sen. Susan Rubio as chair of the Insurance Committee on Friday after leaving the position vacant earlier this month as wildfires continue burning in Los Angeles. (POLITICO Pro)

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PLAYBOOKERS

— Roxanne Hoge of the Republican party’s activist base is now chair of the Los Angeles County GOP. She takes the place of the more moderate Timothy O’Reilly.

— California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks and other Golden State DNC members endorsed Minnesotan Ken Martin in the DNC chair race.

PEOPLE MOVES — Rep. Derek Tran (D-Calif.) announced several new hires in his D.C. and District offices: Dao Nguyen is chief of staff; Eliana Locke will serve as communications director; Justin Maturo will serve as legislative director; Tony Tran will serve as senior legislative assistant; Lauren Brown will serve as scheduler; Cody Mendoza will serve as district director; Katrina Mañalac will serve as constituent services manager; Roxanne Chow will serve as senior adviser based in Orange County.

— Mark Torres has joined Mercury Public Affairs as managing director in its California office. He will oversee the firm’s expansion in the state.

— Brandon Marchy will join the Orange County Medical Association as chief executive officer on Feb. 3. He’s currently senior legislative advocate for the California Medical Association.

BIRTHDAYS — State Sen. Eloise Reyes … Lindsey Holden (favorite cake: pink champagne from the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo) … Saul Carlin ...

BELATED BDAY WISHES — (was Sunday): former Rep. Kevin McCarthy … former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra … Sarah Pompei … Chenyu Zheng … Morgan Pearlman … Eric Nelson … Enchanted Rock’s Scott D. Lipton … Mimi Leder …

(was Saturday): Aidan McDonald in Sen. Alex Padilla’s office ... Robert N. Newman ... Michael Glantz ... John Leachman Oliver III ...

(was Friday): Newsmax’s Rick Leventhal

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California's climate future is here. With federal approval of the Golden State's first Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project — led by California Resources Corporation – our state is once again at the forefront!

As Governor Newsom has made clear, CCS will be vital to achieving carbon neutrality, since there simply is no other way to eliminate all carbon emissions in a growing economy.

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