‘I’m very hopeful’ — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Carney-Trump meeting

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks about his lawsuit against Donald Trump over tariffs and whether he will receive support from Congress.

Ahead of next week’s highly anticipated White House meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump, California’s governor says he’s “very hopeful” the conversation will be fruitful.

In a Canadian exclusive interview with CTV Question Period, Gavin Newsom shared his thoughts on Tuesday’s talks, which will be the first time the two leaders met face-to-face since Carney was sworn in as prime minister on March 14.

When asked by host Vassy Kapelos what advice he’d give the Canadian leader, Newsom said he “hates giving advice” and there is “nothing worse than politicians giving other politicians advice,” but he did offer some suggestions.

“Come in with the points of pride, principle, with the authority — the moral and formal authority he has as prime minister of a remarkable nation, Canada — and assert yourself,” he said.

Carney and Trump are slated to discuss Trump’s trade war on Canada, which could set the stage for negotiations on a new trade and security relationship with the Americans. For his part, Carney says he is anticipating “difficult, but constructive” talks , which he hopes will result in the “best deal for Canada.”

During the federal election, Carney campaigned on being the best leader to deal with Trump’s threats to annex Canada through economic force. The U.S. president largely toned down his rhetoric during the campaign, but did repeat his claim that Canada should become the 51st state on election day.

Two days after Carney’s win, Trump told reporters Carney is a “very nice gentleman” who he thinks will have a “great relationship” with.

“He called me up yesterday and said, ‘Let’s make a deal,’” Trump said on April 30.

Newsom, who said he’s had many conversations with the U.S. president and “gets along very well in private” with him, told Kapelos that at the end of the day, “it is all about relationships” with Trump.

“Look, I represent the most un-Trump state in America. That said, I don’t wake up every single morning looking to find a crowbar to put in the spokes of the wheel of the Trump administration. It’s an open hand, not a closed fist,” he said.

By being assertive while also trying to develop a relationship with Trump, Newsom said he imagines the Carney-Trump meeting will be “very positive.”

“I hope the prime minister takes that approach and engages him and is very honest and forthright in terms of expectation setting,” he said. “I think it will actually be well received.”

Since his inauguration on Jan. 20, the president has hosted several televised meetings with world leaders in the Oval Office, including the prime ministers of Japan and Italy and the president of France. The most memorable was the highly contentious meeting with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine in February, which devolved into a shouting match.

For Carney, Newsom said he hopes the meeting is one-on-one, as it will favour “the kind of relationship our two countries deserve.” Historically, Newsom said talks with foreign leaders have tended to go well when it’s just between the two leaders, as opposed to what happened with Zelenskyy’s visit, with Vice-President J.D. Vance and other members of Trump’s cabinet present.

“I’m very hopeful. But again, one-on-one meeting — don’t mix it up with all these other characters that will end up in that Oval Office. That’s the only risk,” Newsom said.

On Friday, Carney was asked how he can avoid an Oval Office ambush, like what happened to President Zelenskyy.

“I go there with the expectation of constructive — difficult but constructive — discussions. That’s the spirit of the conversations that the president and I had,” Carney said. “You know, you go to these meetings well prepared, understanding the objectives of your counterpart and always acting in the best interest of Canada, and we’ll go from there.”

California becomes first state to sue over Donald Trump’s tariffs

On April 16, California filed a lawsuit challenging Trump’s tariffs that have upended global trade, arguing the president lacks the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs against Mexico, China and Canada, or create an across-the-board 10 per cent tariff through the International Economic Emergency Powers Act.

“We have one branch of government. It’s the rule of Trump right now,” Newsom said. “It feels like the law of the jungle in so many respects, a sort of apex predator, deciding on a whim, day in and day out, decisions on this or that.”

He detailed to Kapelos the economic impact Trump’s tariffs and the resulting trade war have had on California — the largest U.S. manufacturing and agricultural state and one of the largest export states.

Over 40 per cent of its imports come from Mexico, Canada and China, with the Port of Los Angeles warning cargo volumes will plummet 35 per cent this week.

California has also seen tourism numbers drop two months in a row, with a 16 per cent drop from Canadians alone. In 2024, 1.8 million Canadians visited the state , and the drop prompted Newsom to launch a campaign to bring Canadians back.

“I want to work with the president, but it’s very challenging right now across the spectrum because of the assault on free enterprise, the assault on the rule of law, the assault on our allies and our trading partners, relationships, the assault on trust,” Newsom said. “And so, we are asserting ourselves.”

He said he does think, however, there are brighter days ahead. Trump believes in markets, Newsom said, and they’ve been speaking loudly, plunging for days after the president announced steep tariffs on imports from around the world.

“As a consequence, he’s reacted to that — not to the utterances of governors, not even to members of his own party or advisers, but the markets,” Newsom said. “We were the tent pole of the world’s economy, we were the envy of the world before Trump came in . . . now all of that has changed.”

Consequently, Newsom noted Trump’s tone is beginning to change, reflected not only in his rhetoric but in the “reality of his engagements.”

“That’s why I feel a bit more confident and optimistic, particularly as it relates to the new prime minister engaging with President Trump this week,” he said. “I think it’s actually a good week to engage, and I feel like things are about to cool here.”

You can watch CTV Question Period‘s full exclusive interview with California Gov. Gavin Newsom at 11 a.m. ET on Question Period.