Conservative radio legend Michael Savage told California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week that President Donald Trump should appoint a “special master” to oversee federal funding for fire relief aid for California due to mismanagement.
Savage was the second guest on Newsom’s new podcast series focusing on conversations with conservatives.
The governor is using the series to position himself for a presidential run in 2028, moderating some of his positions while showing that he can go toe-to-toe with conservative thought leaders.
But faced with Savage’s common-sense idea, which echoed a suggestion made by this author to the president, the governor seemed confused, though he agreed in principle that there should be “accountability.”
From the transcript:
SAVAGE: What about the rebuilding down in Pacific Palisades. This is a hot-button issue. Shouldn’t there be a special master to administer the funds? It seems fishy to a lot of people.
NEWSOM: Administer which funds — the FEMA dollars?
SAVAGE: The rebuilding of Los Angeles.
NEWSOM: Well, there should be accountability across the spectum.
SAVAGE: Who’s accounting for it?.
NEWSOM: FEMA has rules and regulations overseen by Congress, and obviously the distribution of those funds — a lot of it’s individual aid, a lot of it’s to the [Small Business Administration], a lot of it has very prescriptive requirements that are well established across the country. But we’re all for accountability. I’m for accountability and I have no problem and I think in terms of that transparency and accountability, advocating for it and for all our tax dollars.
California’s penchant for financial mismanagement is almost legendary. Last week, the state was forced to borrow $3.44 billion for Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, which Assemblyman Cal DeMaio (R-San Diego) says is insolvent.
And as Breitbart News has noted:
In 2019 … the co-author of California’s cap-and-trade legislation complained that Democrats — his own party — were diverting funds “for investments that are barely related to the original intent” of the program.
Even left-leaning Capital Public Radio faulted Newsom for failing to spend his budget on wildfire prevention — and then lying about it.
Savage also took Newsom to task for his other policies, including high taxes and free healthcare for illegal aliens.
Newsom’s podcast is gaining attention — but it is also causing him new problems. In his first episode, featuring Charlie Kirk, he offended LGTBTQ+ activists by backtracking on support for transgender athletes. Polls suggest that California voters have had enough — especially liberal ones, who wonder why he is giving a platform to so many conservative influencers, whom they dislike, at a time when the fire-ravaged state has so many urgent needs.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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