Karoline Leavitt criticizes Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom for not working with Trump

President Donald Trump’s former White House press secretary has some advice 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 the situation since his departure.

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

“I’m not worried about our president. He loves our country very much and he wants to make things right,” she told Maher. “He said – you heard him say this – I will work with Democrats to do what is best.”

Leavitt then referenced Washington, D.C. and how its mayor and Trump worked together.

“I’ve cleaned up the homeless, cleaned up the crime, the city is beautiful. I’ve lived here for 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 has contacted Newsom and Bass’ office for comment.

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Newsom advisor Izzy Gardon blasted Leavitt’s comments in an article on X.

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

His comments referenced the time the governor met with Trump in the Oval Office in February 2025 to request federal aid for disaster relief and rebuilding following the devastating Los Angeles County wildfires.

In June of that year, Trump federalized more than 4,000 California National Guard troops without Newsom’s consent.

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

Newsom has since repeatedly said in past remarks that he learned that “playing nice” with Trump was not feasible.

In a March 2026 interview, Newsom said that “you can’t work with him, you can only work for him, and everyone eventually learns that lesson.”

Tension between Newsom and Trump escalated this year after the governor revealed that Trump’s Justice Department was investigating him and his wife over tax returns and other matters.

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