"I think Governor Brown's done a very poor job running California. They have the highest taxes in the United States. The place is totally out of control," Trump said during a news conference in San Diego.
"You have sanctuary cities where you have criminals living in sanctuary cities, and then the mayor of Oakland goes out and notifies when ICE is going in to pick them up. Many of them were criminals with criminal histories and are very dangerous people. I think the governor is doing a terrible job running the state of California."
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The comments were made as Trump visited border wall prototypes in San Diego on his first visit to California as president.
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"People are going to start to move pretty soon. If you have don't have this kind of wall, drugs are pouring through in California. Can't do it. So, the governor of California, nice guy, he's a nice guy, I knew him a long time ago, has not done the job. And the taxes are double and triple what they should be, and everybody who lives in California knows it," he said.
On Monday, Brown wrote a letter to Trump touting the strength of California's economy and attributing the success of the world's sixth-largest economy to immigrants.
"California thrives because we welcome immigrants and innovators from across the globe," Brown wrote.
And upon hearing the president's comments Tuesday, Brown offered a brief reply on Twitter: "Thanks for the shout-out, @realDonaldTrump. But bridges are still better than walls. And California remains the 6th largest economy in the world and the most prosperous state in America. #Facts"