The governor met with Trump on Wednesday to delve into the state’s recovery efforts from the wildfires, which only just recently became fully contained after a month-long battle. Newsom has been given the nickname “Newscum” by the president in the past, with the governor stating that he and Trump “had some fun” with it during their new meeting. He added that they have had “one of the more interesting relationships in politics,” which stretches back to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I mean, we were involved in 100 lawsuits going back and forth. You could look at the tweets back then, calling me a clown, you know, the worst governor, and yet we were still working together and all that was a little bit of noise,” Newsom said on CNN. “So it just feels so familiar, and in that respect, I want to continue to respect the office of the presidency, to respect his authority, and to also engage in a constructive dialog when it comes to issues of emergencies. But again, we had that foundation of a relationship for years during the COVID crisis, and it was a great partnership then, interestingly.”

Newsom was pressed on whether he and the president feud publicly but are more friendly in person, to which he said, “It’s a joke and it’s not.” He said he’s ultimately focused on results. He also said his focus on “getting things done” was “demonstrably the case” during his meeting with Trump.

The governor also explained how he and Trump share a common interest of supporting Los Angeles residents, especially with the 2028 Olympics looming. He then stated how Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin is doing “an amazing job” with helping the city in its first phase of debris removal, which is being accomplished “at record pace.”

“And I think it‘s that mindset that we brought to the meeting, and the mindset that came out of that meeting: the president wants to do something that‘s never been done, and that is address this crisis with a degree of sophistication and focus to get the job done and get people‘s lives back,” Newsom said.

Southern California’s wildfires were finally contained earlier this week after nearly a month since they started on Jan. 7. A preliminary estimate from AccuWeather in mid-January found that the wildfires were the costliest in U.S. history, with the damage valued between $135 billion and $150 billion.

Amid the wildfire containment efforts, the governor has been served with a recall effort by the organization Saving California. Beyond citing his handling of the wildfires, the petition also claims Newsom has overseen rising crime, homelessness, drug use, and cost of living in the state of California.