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Gov. Newsom Bashes Trump's Border Wall, Says California Won't 'Turn Its Back' On Asylum Seekers

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – In a no-holds-barred interview, Governor Gavin Newsom criticized President Donald Trump on a variety of hot-button issues, including the border wall.

The California governor fired back at the president during an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday.

"A 2,000-mile wall is a monument to stupidity, not just vanity, to stupidity," Newsom said. "It's pure political theater. He creates these sideshows, this political theatre, this political grandstanding."

In referring to the president's attempts to spend billions of dollars on building the border wall, Newsom said it's a distraction to steer away from more substantive solutions to the immigration problem.

Newsom defended a $25 million proposed California program to assist asylum seekers who cross the border into the state because he affirms the federal government isn't doing its job.

RELATED: California Governor Newsom Vows 'Sanctuary To All Who Seek It' In Inauguration Speech

"The federal government turns its back to them, turns a blind eye to them. California will not. They won't do their job, we'll do their job," he said.

The governor still insists he wants to work with the president on emergency preparedness and emergency planning.

Newsom added, however, that he won't tolerate Trump continuing his attacks on California.

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