Trump Challenges Newsom: Calls California Rail Project "Out of Control"

SACRAMENTO — While speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Trump slammed California's costly high-speed rail project and challenged Gov. Gavin Newsom to run for president.

The California high-speed rail project was the brainchild of former California Governor Jerry Brown and has now become Newsom's issue. The project is expected to create nearly 500 miles of tracks connecting the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles.

"A little train going from San Francisco to Los Angeles that's being run by Gavin Newscum, the governor of California. Ever heard of Gavin Newscum?" Mr. Trump said. "That train is the worst cost overrun thing I've ever seen. ... It's hundreds of billions for a stupid project that should've never been built."

Trump called the project "out of control" and said the federal government is "not going to pay for that thing." The price tag for the project is now estimated at $130 billion, almost $100 billion more than when Brown first proposed it in 2008.

Newsom's office fired back at the president's comments.

"Hard pass on fiscal tips from the self-described 'king of debt' who ran a steak company, a casino, and a global economy all into the ground," said Daniel Villaseñor, a spokesperson for Newsom's office.

Mr. Trump challenged the governor to run for president in 2028 but said something like the high-speed rail project would likely prevent Newsom from winning.

"I'd love him to run for president on the other side," Mr. Trump said. "I'd love to see that, but I don't think he's going to be running because that one project alone, well, that and the fires and a lot of other things pretty much put him out of the race."

Ethan Elkind with the UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy and the Environment says California's high-speed rail project is facing money troubles, with or without federal funding.

Without a doubt, there isn’t any funding available currently to complete the system," Elkind stated. "The issue now is whether they can launch an operational segment. I believe this is quite uncertain at present.

As of Wednesday, Newsom's press office said Currently, 119 miles are undergoing active construction, with an additional 171 miles in active development. The governor’s office also mentioned that the project has additionally “ generated nearly $22 billion in economic output And designs for expansions to Merced and Bakersfield were underway.

"Governor Brown prioritized this significantly. However, Governor Newsom has not been an outspoken advocate for the initiative," Elkind stated.

Political analyst Jack Pitney doubts that the matter connects strongly with voters.

Pitney mentioned that he doesn't believe many Californians are losing sleep over the status of the high-speed rail project, considering how distant the revised schedule actually is.

According to a survey conducted by Emerson and released in February, Despite the expenses involved, 54% of Californians continue to back the high-speed rail project.

Mr. Trump’s remarks on Tuesday occurred during a discussion in the Oval Office alongside Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. The President additionally criticized Newsom's request for a federal tax credit aimed at Make America Film Again ", following Mr. Trump's declaration that he was going to implement 100% taxes on every film made outside this nation .