Newsom asks for Trump’s cooperation after devastating wild fires, offering ‘open hand, not a closed fist’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is extending an olive branch to President-elect Donald Trump in the wake of the Golden State’s vicious wildfires, saying Sunday that he’d greet the incoming prez with an “open hand, not a closed fist.”

In an interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki, the Democratic governor also said he’d welcome the 45th and soon-to-be 47th president to the West Coast to see the devastation for himself — and added that he hopes federal aid arrives without the strings some in Congress have demanded.

“There is no success, American success, without California’s success,” Newsom told Psaki as they stood before the ruined remains of a charred home. “So we’re all in this together. That’s why I have an open hand, not a closed fist, with the president-elect. I want him to come out. I’m sincere about that.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’s welcoming the next president with an “open hand, not a closed fist.” ZUMAPRESS.com

The term-limited gov added that he worked with Trump “like no other … Democratic governor in America” during the COVID pandemic, and would like to see that happen again.

“When it comes to emergency and protecting people, that’s apolitical for me,” Newsom said.

“And I was proud to work with him. We got along personally behind the scenes. There was all the rhetoric here. That’s my commitment to this administration going forward. I want to see that reciprocated. That’s the approach I’m going to take.”

Newsom — who runs the world’s fifth-largest economy — said he hoped Trump didn’t hold a grudge that could get get in the way of relief.

“The president-elect said of the previous governor of California, ‘I hate Jerry Brown,’” Newsom said.

“He said in 2018 he was going to withhold FEMA funding because of fundamental disagreements. So they transcend. He’s done that in Puerto Rico. He’s done it in other states. So it’s a state of mind. And that’s well-established and was part of what I think people understood when they reelected him.”

The governor’s statement came after wildfires have ravaged the Golden State — which will need billions in aid to rebuild. AFP via Getty Images

“But we hope that’s just rhetoric,” he continued.

“And at the same time, we have to be mindful. That rhetoric impacts conditions on the ground, impacts perceptions about what did or what didn’t happen, impacts a sense of confidence in self about the fate and future of this state.”

Since the wildfires erupted throughout California about two weeks ago, their flames have claimed 27 lives, destroyed countless communities and torched tens of billions of dollars’ worth of property.

A community church in Altadena that burned down during the fires. Getty Images

Their torrid pace — fanned by the hot Santa Ana winds that sometimes reached hurricane strength — will likely push the disaster into the ranks of the most costly in US history, Newsom said.

On Sunday, the governor declined to share any updates about who or what may have sparked the infernos.

“Multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation have confirmed that an early focus into how the blaze started is possible human cause,” Psaki said, to which Newsom agreed.

Trump will take office on Monday. AP

But he urged restraint — and asked that law enforcement be allowed to investigate.

“I have learned to be cautious in that respect,” he said. “No one has determined anything. There’s a lot of rumors. A lot of folks are sending me articles, speculation, a lot of myths and disinformation in the space that are wildly inaccurate.

“It’s best to allow the investigation to do their job,” he continued. “It’s a well-established framework. It has profound consequences, that independent analysis, the adjudication of the actual facts on the ground. But they have not yet determined the cause of these blazes.”

Still, he pushed back hard against the torrents of misinformation flowing and took aim at billionaire Elon Musk, who has shared social media posts saying that the fires were caused by overregulation and “bad governance” instead of climate change.

“It’s not helpful,” Newsom said. “It’s damaging to the very foundation of the notion of what are facts, what are truths.”

Newsom also pushed back against the torrents of misinformation spread by people like Elon Musk. Getty Images

The governor said he’s know Musk for 20 years, and takes “great pride in his entrepreneurial spirit and the investments, next-level investments he’s made in California.”

But he worries that something is happening with the tech mogul, who he said was once extraordinarily concerned with climate change but now says it’s happening “much slower than alarmists claim.”

“I don’t know what happened. I don’t,” Newsom said. “And it’s become increasingly concerning and impactful … what he’s attempting to do, or currently doing, is something that needs to be watched very closely by the American people.”

“And it’s a very, as I say, sobering and serious moment,” he continued. “It’s bigger than Donald Trump as well. Elon knows what he’s doing, and he knows how to do it.”