Trump Says He’s ‘Amazed’ Gavin Newsom Wants Presidency, Dismisses Governor in Two Words

President Donald Trump said he is “amazed” that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is considering a run for the White House, sharply criticizing Newsom’s record and leadership during an Oval Office interview conducted Friday, as reported by The New York Post.

“I’m amazed Gavin wants to run for office,” Trump told The California Post following a series of administration actions targeting California, including a lawsuit over sanctuary policies, fraud allegations, and the clawback of federal funding.

Trump, who owns a golf course in California, said the state’s governance under Newsom has deteriorated significantly.

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“People love the dream of California, but they hate what’s happening to them,” Trump said. He added that the state needs “proper leadership,” arguing that Californians are not getting it under their current governor.

“Gavin’s incompetent.”

Newsom, a Democrat who has increasingly adopted Trump-style social media tactics to elevate his national profile, is currently leading early polling for the 2028 Democratic presidential primary.

According to RealClearPolitics survey averages, Newsom holds 24 percent support among Democrats, ahead of former Vice President Kamala Harris at 21 percent, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 11 percent, and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 8 percent.

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Trump said Newsom’s governing record in California would be a central issue in any presidential campaign, singling out the state’s high-speed rail project as a symbol of mismanagement.

The rail line, intended to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco, has become one of the most expensive infrastructure projects in U.S. history, with projected costs reaching $135 billion.

“He has the train, the train to nowhere, that was supposed to be a simple train that went from San Francisco to Los Angeles,” Trump said.

“It’s the greatest cost run over that I’ve ever seen.”

“I could have built that thing, and I could have built that thing in one year,” the president added.

The high-speed rail project was originally scheduled for completion in 2020. The current target date is sometime in 2030, and that timeline would only cover a partial Central Valley segment between Bakersfield and Merced, far from the state’s major population centers.

The project has also faced persistent funding challenges, with billions in federal dollars repeatedly pulled, restored, and withdrawn again, leaving California taxpayers responsible for sustaining construction.

Earlier this month, Newsom defended the project during his State of the State address, claiming it was “back on track.”

“Speaking of tracks, we’re finally laying them,” Newsom said, pointing to more than 60 miles of guideway poured in the Central Valley, land acquisition, and environmental clearance for much of the route.

Trump dismissed that assessment and said his personal relationship with Newsom has sharply deteriorated since his first term in office.

“I used to get along with him, but now it’s sort of a hopeless situation. They’ve gone radical left. They’re crazy,” Trump said.

Both men were in Davos, Switzerland, last week for the World Economic Forum, where Newsom criticized Trump’s actions and accused global leaders of accommodating the U.S. president.

Trump confirmed the two spoke during the conference but declined to provide details.

“I saw him in Davos,” Trump said. “I spoke to him. I spoke to him fine.”

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