Ex-White House Press Sec. issues blunt challenge to Newsom, Bass: ‘Maybe they should call’

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President Donald Trump’s former White House press secretary has a tip for California’s Democratic leaders: Work with the president, and maybe California will “look a lot better.”

Karoline Leavitt, who left her post in August, appeared on “Real Time with Bill Maher” Friday night to talk about the president and how things have been since her departure.

At one point, Leavitt took a jab at Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both of whom have made their anti-Trump opposition a key part of their platforms.

“I don’t worry about our president. He loves our country very much and he wants to make it right,” she told Maher. “He has said — you’ve heard him say this — I will work with Democrats to do what’s best.”

Leavitt then referenced Washington, DC and how its mayor and Trump have workd together.

“Cleaned up the homelessness, cleaned up the crime, the city is beautiful. I’ve lived there the past two years,” she said to which Maher responded, “You’re right.”

“Maybe your governor should call, maybe your mayor here should call, and California would look a lot better.”

The California Post contacted Newsom’s and Bass’s office for comment.

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Newsom’s advisor, Izzy Gardon, blasted Leavitt’s comments in a post on X.

“Gavin Newsom spent 90 minutes in the Oval Office with Donald Trump. Trump responded by illegally seizing control of California’s National Guard and deploying 4,700 troops to Los Angeles,” Gardon said.

His comments referred to when the governor met with Trump in the Oval Office in February 2025 to request federal disaster relief and recovery aid following the devastating Los Angeles County wildfires.

Karoline Leavitt takes a shot at California’s Democratic leaders, right in Bill Maher’s studio.

“Maybe your governor should call.”

She points to Trump’s work with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and says California could look better if its leaders worked with him. pic.twitter.com/IVQctyOolg

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 24, 2026

That June, Trump federalized over 4,000 California National Guard troops without Newsom’s consent.

The governor had initially said he wanted to offer an “open hand, not a closed fist” to Trump in the aftermath of the fires. But Newsom’s tone changed substantially after the National Guard incident, which Trump used to respond to protests against federal immigration enforcment.

Newsom has since said in past remarks multiple times that he learned “playing nice” with Trump is not doable.

In a March 2026 interview, Newsom stated that “you can’t work with him, you can only work for him, and everybody ultimately learns that lesson.”

The tension between Newsom and Trump has escalated this year after the governor revealed Trump’s Department of Justice has been probing him and his wife around tax returns and other matters.

Leavitt’s interview with Maher comes after the host had a dinner with Trump, resulting in backlash from the left.