Karoline Leavitt Offers Blunt Advice to Newsom, Calif. Dems: Work With Trump
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt used a Friday appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” to argue that California’s Democratic leaders could accomplish more by cooperating with President Donald Trump.
Leavitt, who left her White House post in August, cited Trump’s dealings with Democratic Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser. She said the capital had improved during Trump’s second term and suggested California could benefit from similar engagement.
“Maybe your governor should call, maybe your mayor here should call,” Leavitt told Maher, referring to Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. She said California could “look a lot better.”
Leavitt’s remarks were an argument for cooperation, not independent evidence that Trump’s dealings with Bowser caused specific improvements. Maher, a frequent Trump critic, agreed with parts of her assessment of Washington and described a private White House conversation with the president.
Newsom’s office pushed back. Adviser Izzy Gardon pointed to Newsom’s February 2025 meeting with Trump after devastating Los Angeles County wildfires. Newsom had traveled to Washington seeking federal disaster aid and initially said he wanted to approach the new administration with an “open hand, not a closed fist.”
The relationship later deteriorated over Trump’s deployment of California National Guard troops during protests against federal immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. Newsom opposed the move and challenged it in court. His office cited that history in rejecting the suggestion that the governor had simply declined to work with the administration.
Newsom has since taken a more confrontational stance toward Trump. In a March interview, he argued that Democrats who try to cooperate with the president eventually find themselves expected to work for him rather than alongside him.
The exchange came during a broader discussion of the approaching midterms and the political consequences of a potential Republican loss. Maher raised the prospect that such a result could weaken Trump during the final two years of his presidency. Leavitt cautioned against treating the outcome as settled, pointing to Trump’s political record and his campaign efforts for Republican candidates.
She also described Trump’s decision-making process from her time in the administration, saying he seeks advice from staff at different levels. Maher shared his impression from their White House meeting, saying Trump listened closely and did not become angry when challenged. Leavitt agreed, saying Trump “surveys the room” and hears from both junior staff and senior officials before making decisions.
The episode offered Leavitt a prominent platform as she returns to public political life. She has said she left the White House to spend more time with her family. She is set to join Fox News as a contributor beginning November 1.