California Gov. Gavin Newsom, an all-but-certain candidate for president in 2028, jumped at the chance to address a forum of business executives and other A-list figures last week and burnish his credentials as President Donald Trump’s most vocal critic.

He excoriated attendees at a New York Times-sponsored event for being too accommodating of Trump, whom he accused of undermining democracy. He even suggested they should acquire the parody kneepads he’s selling, for “groveling to Trump’s needs.”

“Some of you may need to buy them in bulk,” he said.

“Some of you are probably fine with it,” Newsom said as he ticked off Trump’s authoritarian policies. “A lot of people figured it out. They know the game, state capitalism, crony capitalism, the great grift. A lot of you are doing extraordinarily well.”

It was exactly what to expect from someone eyeing the White House who hopes that positioning himself as Trump’s resistor-in-chief would give him a leg up on other Democratic contenders.

Politico, a website devoted to politics, quoted an unnamed Newsom advisor as saying his confrontational presentation was deliberate. “So he came prepared to tell the truth,” the advisor said.

A day later, Newsom landed in Washington, doffed his presidential candidate hat, donned his gubernatorial chapeau and asked Republicans who control Congress and the White House to give California $34 billion to help Los Angeles County communities recover from deadly wildfires that swept through the region nearly a year ago.

“As the fire response has shifted into long-term recovery, the focus now is on rebuilding homes, schools, utilities and critical infrastructure while also supporting small businesses and job growth in the impacted region,” Newsom told congressional leaders in a letter, adding, “As in past and current disasters, complete recovery is not possible without essential federal aid. The state of California continues to respectfully request a supplemental appropriation for disaster funding to support key programs to aid survivors.”

Respectfully? Newsom implies that he can portray Trump and other Republicans as agents of the devil and immediately ask them for many billions of dollars to help his very blue state recover from disaster.

The two days on the eastern seaboard encapsulate the bifurcated image Newsom will display during his final year as governor — aggressive candidate for the White House and chief executive of the nation’s largest state.

There are conflicts as Newsom juggles the two roles, with his pleas for wildfire aid being an obvious one.

He knows that Trump demands obsequiousness from anyone seeking favors — exactly what Newsom cited in his New York presentation. The flip side of Trump’s alpha-male psyche is that if flattery is not forthcoming, the seeker will likely be shunned.

“Back in January, the president looked me in the eye on the tarmac at LAX and promised me, and the people of LA, that he’d ‘take care of it’ as we rebuild and recover,” Newsom said in a statement. “That commitment isn’t being met, and instead he’s leaving survivors behind. It’s time for Trump to wake up and do his job.”

Newsom knew that confronting Trump would probably doom any chance California had to get disaster aid. The White House even rebuffed Newsom’s request for a meeting with Trump or other high-ranking officials.

“The Trump Administration refused a routine wildfire recovery meeting — a rejection we’ve never seen before — even as LA families near a year without long-term federal financial help,” Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement. “The message to survivors is unmistakable: Donald Trump doesn’t care about them.”

Newsom made a choice, and candidate Newsom prevailed over Governor Newsom. As 2026 unfolds, we will see many other conflicts between the two personages. The candidate will probably continue to dominate.

Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.