On Thursday, former President Donald Trump shared a new moniker for California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, a top campaign surrogate for President Joe Biden who is widely seen as a potential White House contender in the future.
The swipe at Newsom happened as Trump delivered remarks during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas, while speaking on the topic of illegal immigration — a hot button issue in the run-up to November’s election.
“You look at what this Governor New Scum from California — isn’t that his name? New Scum. What he’s done to California is unbelievable,” Trump said while critiquing policies that he argued were driving illegal immigration into the United States.
Trump refers to California Governor Gavin Newsom as “Governor New Scum” pic.twitter.com/kqe2JFtV2Y
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) February 29, 2024
Trump visited Eagle Pass, the epicenter of a standoff between Texas and the Biden administration over how to deal with migrants and illegal crossings, as Biden paid a visit to the border in Brownsville, Texas.
It remains to be seen if the nickname for Newsom sticks, but Trump has a history of bestowing upon his political opponents mocking nicknames, dating back to the 2016 Republican nomination contest.
During his CPAC speech last weekend, Trump called the president “Crooked Joe Biden,” repurposing a label he used against Hillary Clinton. He also took a shot at Newsom during that same address.
“A lot of people think Gavin Newsom is going to run. In a certain way, I hope so,” Trump said. “I hope so. Because he’s destroyed California.”
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Newsom spoke critically of Trump during an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” which aired on Sunday, as he rejected the notion that Democrats are underestimating the former president in the 2024 election.
“I think he’s weakness masquerading as strength. I think he’s more unhinged. He’s more – he’s less interesting than he was even a few years ago,” Newsom said.
Newsom also said Biden should debate Trump in the general election and shrugged off concerns about Biden’s fitness to lead at the age of 81, saying, “It’s because of his age that he’s been so successful.”
When pressed on whether he would completely rule out a presidential run in 2024, Newsom claimed, “100%. It’s not even an interesting conversation.”