Former President Donald Trump left Fox News host Tucker Carlson shocked Tuesday night when he said he had a “great” relationship with Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom during his presidency.
Trump, who is making his third run for president in 2024, sat down with Carlson for his first interview since he was arraigned in a New York courtroom on 34 felon counts of alleged falsifying business records.
The former president pleaded not guilty to the charges and has denied any wrongdoing.
During his wide-ranging interview with the Fox News host, Trump brought up Newsom after Carlson asked him if he believed President Joe Biden will run for re-election next year.
Biden has said he intends to run but hasn’t made a formal announcement.
Trump said he did not believe the 80-year-old president was capable of enduring another term.
He first named Vice President Kamala Harris as someone who might run if Biden didn’t, but said, “I don’t think she’s performed well.”
The former president then mentioned the Golden State’s left-wing governor as a possibility.
“You have a very ambitious guy in California,” Trump said in reference to Newsom. “But he’s done a terrible job with the state.
“I used to get along great with him, you know, when I was president. … Got along really good. Gavin.”
Carlson appeared stunned by the statement.
“Wait, you got along with Gavin Newsom?” he asked.
“I did,” the former president said. “I really did.”
Trump said in spite of their differences, Newsom treated him very well. “He was always very nice to me. Said the greatest things. He would say things like, ‘He’s doing a great job.'”
“About you?” Carlson said incredulously.
The former president responded, “About me. That’s why I could never hit him because he was so nice to me.”
In regard to Newsom’s potential influence on the upcoming election, Trump said, “He’s just laying in wait.”
“But he was very nice to me, and relatively speaking, some of them weren’t,” he concluded.
Trump’s comments drew criticism from some conservatives on Twitter.
Others, however, defended the former president’s remarks.
Trump’s future daughter-in-law, Kimberly Guilfoyle, was married to Newsom when he was the mayor of San Francisco.
Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. have been engaged since January 2022.
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