Of the legion of President Donald Trump’s Democrat detractors, California Gov. Jerry Brown has stood at the forefront with his harsh criticisms and legal opposition to the president’s agenda.
But Trump just fired back a huge blow at the liberal governor, offering up an official endorsement via Twitter to Brown’s Republican challenger in the 2018 election, John Cox.
California finally deserves a great Governor, one who understands borders, crime and lowering taxes. John Cox is the man – he’ll be the best Governor you’ve ever had. I fully endorse John Cox for Governor and look forward to working with him to Make California Great Again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2018
“California finally deserves a great Governor, one who understands borders, crime and lowering taxes,” Trump tweeted Friday. “John Cox is the man — he’ll be the best Governor you’ve ever had. I fully endorse John Cox for Governor and look forward to working with him to Make California Great Again!”
That tweet from Trump came just two days after Brown had issued a snarky tweet of his own which criticized the president for a round-table discussion with California law enforcement officials and political leaders opposed to the state’s sanctuary policies toward criminal illegal immigrants.
According to The Hill, Brown had accused Trump of “lying” about crime and the sanctuary laws in California and alleged that he’d only invited the round-table guests to the White House to “flatter him and praise his reckless policies.”
🤥 @realDonaldTrump is lying on immigration, lying about crime and lying about the laws of CA. Flying in a dozen Republican politicians to flatter him and praise his reckless policies changes nothing. We, the citizens of the fifth largest economy in the world, are not impressed.
— Jerry Brown (@JerryBrownGov) May 16, 2018
This is not the first time or only issue over which Brown and Trump have squabbled — though it is probably the biggest — and odds are it won’t be the last.
The Trump administration is currently suing the state of California over their sanctuary laws, which effectively prohibit local and state police from cooperating with federal immigration officials in handing over criminal illegal aliens for processing and deportation.
Meanwhile, California has filed dozens of lawsuits against the administration on a whole host of issues, from immigration to the environment, regulatory reform and the travel ban, among others.
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It remains to be seen if Trump’s endorsement of Cox will be met with a groundswell of support among Californians who’ve grown frustrated and tired with Brown’s progressive policies.
Regardless, it has been made clear that Brown won’t be able to simply coast to a re-election without facing a challenge, one that has the full backing of President Trump and his legion of supporters.