California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’d by “lying” if he did not credit President Trump for adequately handling the coronavirus pandemic.
During an interview with CNN on Wednesday, network anchor Jake Tapper asked if Newsom felt pressured to compliment the Trump administration to receive federal assistance to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
“Do you find yourself, by necessity, tempering what you say in terms of any issues you might have with the federal response?” Tapper asked, to which Newsom said he wants to avoid partisanship during a crisis.
“Let me just be candid with you. I’d be lying to you to say that he hasn’t been responsive to our needs. He has. And so, as a question, as a sort of an offer of objectivity, I have to acknowledge that publicly,” Newsom said.
“The fact is, every time I’ve called the president, he’s quickly gotten on the line,” he said, noting several actions the administration has taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in his state.
Trump has repeatedly praised Newsom for his handling of the virus. During a White House press briefing on Tuesday, Trump said, “They’ve done a good job, California.”
“Now, let’s see what happens because we could see a spike,” Trump added. “I mean, you don’t know. They could have a spike where all of a sudden it spikes upward.”
More than 926,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus globally. Of those, at least 46,000 have died from it, and more than 193,000 have recovered. The United States has seen at least 209,000 confirmed cases, with nearly 8,400 reported recoveries.
