Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif) criticized President Donald Trump on Thursday, accusing him of “bending his knee” to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of their Friday meeting in Alaska.
Political Tensions Escalate Over Putin Meeting
The Democratic governor made the remarks while advocating for California redistricting measures to counter Republican efforts in Texas. “This is a guy who lays claim to want to get a Nobel Prize, sitting there and bending his knee to Mr. Putin,” Newsom said.
On Tuesday, Newsom urged Democrats in Illinois and New York to fast-track redistricting to counter Texas Republicans' push for five new House seats, telling former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) on his podcast that it's time to "fight fire with fire," as Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) threatened to arrest Democrats blocking votes.
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Alaska Summit Raises Strategic Concerns
Trump meets Putin on Friday in Anchorage in the first U.S.-Russia presidential summit since June 2021. The meeting comes as former National Security Advisor John Bolton criticized Trump’s tariff strategy against India for purchasing Russian oil as an “unforced error.”
Bolton warned on X that targeting India while sparing China “potentially drives India closer to Russia, contrary to U.S. national interests.” India imports over one-third of its oil from Russia, making it the second-largest buyer after China.
The White House responded by calling Newsom “Gavin Newscum” and claiming he “cheered on weak [former president] Joe Biden as he allowed Russia to invade Ukraine,” according to Newsweek.
Energy Markets React to Geopolitical Uncertainty
West Texas Intermediate crude jumped 2% to $64 on Thursday as traders positioned ahead of the summit. The United States Oil Fund (NYSE:USO) gained 1.50% despite declining 10% from July highs.
Trump acknowledged a 25% chance that Friday’s meeting could fail outright. “I’ll know within the first two minutes,” he said, describing the Alaska summit as setting “the table for the next meeting.”
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts see limited near-term disruption to Russian oil supply regardless of summit outcomes. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed “secondary tariffs on India” could increase if talks fail.
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