President Donald Trump used a portion of his remarks at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., to note his disappointment that California Gov. Gavin Newsom did not attend, referring to him as “Gavin Newscum” and joking that Newsom “definitely doesn’t want to fight fire with water.” A clip of the comments, shared by the White House Rapid Response account on X, quickly circulated online, prompting users to post a range of reactions to the exchange.
In the clip, President Donald Trump stands at a podium during his remarks at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C. He says, “I was disappointed that Gavin Newscum didn’t show up… He didn’t show up. He should be here.” Trump continues, “But I heard that he recently said that we will lose our country if we don’t fight fire with fire. And to be fair, there’s only one thing we know about Gavin, and that’s that he definitely doesn’t want to fight fire with water. He’s got a lot of water he never uses. What a disaster. That should have never happened.”
The remarks reference a recent statement attributed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and allude to ongoing discussions about water management and wildfires in the state. The footage shows only this portion of the speech; it does not include the full context of Newsom’s original comments or any response from him.
Responses to Trump’s Comments About Newsom
Some users expressed amusement and support, with one writing, “Lord help me. There will never be another like Trump!” and another noting, “Gavin knows he will get roasted by President Trump if he came.”
Others focused on Newsom, commenting “Worst governor in California history” and “No, he’s great. I’m embarrassed by Gavin Newsom.”
Additional replies included criticism of the speech, such as “That was the worst *expletive* speech ever in presidential history,” “Aren’t the Americans embarrassed by this guy? The world is disgusted with this guy,” and “Obama was funny. This bozo is just embarrassing and abusive.”
The remarks have joined the broader online conversation surrounding the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and the ongoing exchanges between Trump and Newsom.
