Trump takes heat from right for saying he didn't 'hit' Newsom because Calif gov said nice things about him

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Former President Donald Trump calls out the indictment against him, weighs in on whether Biden will seek reelection and which Democrat could run for the Oval Office instead on "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

Former President Donald Trump is receiving criticism from some on the right in the wake of comments he made in which he said he "could never hit" California Gov. Gavin Newsom because the liberal Democrat was "so nice to me."

"You have a very ambitious guy in California, but he’s done a terrible job with the state," Trump, who is also a 2024 presidential candidate, said in an interview on Fox News’ "Tucker Carlson Tonight." "I used to get along great with him when I was president. Got along really good ... Gavin."

"You got along with Gavin Newsom?" Carlson asked.

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Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, April 3, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo / Yuki Iwamura)

"I did. I really did. He was always very nice to me, said the greatest things. He would say things like, ‘He's doing a great job.’"

"About you?" Carlson said.

"About me, that's why I could never hit him because he was so nice to me, just laying in wait right?" Trump said. "But he was very nice to me, relatively speaking."

The remarks brought pushback from some on the right who bristled at the suggestion that Trump had pulled his punches against one of the most significant left-wing politicians in the country.

"I’m really disappointed in Trump over his kissing up to Gavin Newsom," commentator Kurt Schlichter said. "This leftist monster is A-OK because he’s been nice to Trump? Conservative @GovRonDeSantis is awful because he has not been nice lately?"

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"What the hell? Has Trump learned nothing at all?" he said.

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"Gavin Newsom has pushed some of the most radical policies in the US, including hundreds of billions in reparations," Chronicles Magazine editor Pedro Gonzalez tweeted. "And Trump just said he could never ‘hit him’ because Newsom was ‘so nice to me.’ Trump can’t fight the left because he identifies more with the left than not."

"This interview summed it up perfectly," John Cardillo said. "All anyone has to do is flatter Trump and they can get away with whatever they want."

Trump allies pushed back against the criticism and accused some outlets of cutting out the part where Trump said Newsom had done a terrible job, implying the criticism was an underhand move by supporters of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whom many expect to enter the 2024 presidential primary race against Trump.

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"Some people are so DeSperate to stop our movement that they think deceptively editing a clip from last night’s interview will help them. Wrong!" the Trump War Room tweeted.

"All of the pro-DeSantis influencers claiming that Trump refused to attack Gavin were knowingly lying again. SAD!" said Donald Trump Jr.