We’re always concerned about that, but this is a golden oldie, as you suggest, not the first time. He did this during the [Gov.] Brown years. He’s done this as it relates to sanctuary policy, trying to take public safety money away. He not only has threatened Ukraine from foreign support, but he’s threatening his own states with federal support, including just two weeks ago threatening transportation funding in the state of California. So not a week goes by, respectfully, not a month goes by where he’s not threatening some form of retaliation, economically or otherwise, against the American people that just happen to live in blue states, but particularly California.
He did, though, withhold some money, some reimbursement money for California battling wildfires, right?
Yeah, but we were successful and this is the secret weapon: Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I cannot impress upon you how important she is in this equation. The appropriations have to eventually go through the speaker of the House and the majority there. … Democrats that have our backs. And this is typical Trump. What he wants is the headline. What he wants is to gin up the kind of conversation we’re having, while he moves on to the next. … and often, unfortunately, has no capacity to follow through because he forgets what he does hour to hour or was never even fully aware of what he did in that previous hour. And that of course is advantageous from our perspective. And number two, the courts are ultimately the biggest advantage we have. The Constitution, the law of which on the vast majority of cases, we have prevailed, if indeed we get into the more difficult issues, the more stubborn and gray area issues as we have on so many occasions.
It sounds, then, governor, that you were aware that engaging in this way with the president could play into his game of potentially drawing attention away from his own troubles in Washington, namely impeachment, for example.
I tried my best last week. And in fact, I got some criticism from some friends and supporters that said, ‘Why are you being so generous to Donald Trump? He hasn’t even returned your phone call in the middle of all these fires,’ which he didn’t. But I said ‘Look, we have to rise above this. We have to work together, in the final analysis.’ People want to see that, and they deserve that. I praised his administration for their eight FMAG declarations. That’s the Fire Management Assistance Grant declarations of which we were afforded. But that was his administration, and I separate that from Donald Trump himself.
He, himself, to your point and my broader point, he’s had a tough week. He’s been booed at two major events because he’s gone outside of the realm of his own base in the rallies. He obviously has lost a major lawsuit today on his tax returns. And he’s facing the inevitable, which is impeachment, maybe removal from office. So I cut him a break in that respect.