Donald Trump criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom for his lack of preparedness in dealing with the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, which have caused significant damage.
The wildfires, comprising four separate blazes, have ravaged thousands of acres, destroyed numerous structures, and resulted in what seems to be billions of dollars in losses.
The Palisades Fire, originating in Pacific Palisades, California, is currently the most severe of the fires, burning homes along the coast from Malibu to Santa Monica. As of Wednesday afternoon, containment efforts have been unsuccessful, with the fire remaining uncontained at 0 percent.
Images of the disaster show multi-million dollar homes going up in flames, fleeing residents panicking and brave firefighters desperately attempting to put out spot fires encroaching on major structures.
The president-elect, apparently monitoring the situation from TV screens lit up will wall-to-wall coverage of the fire, lambasted Newsom in a Truth Social post Wednesday for focusing on environmental priorities like ‘worthless fish’ over those of Golden State residents.
Trump said that the governor, who he referred to as ‘Gavin Newscum,’ a favorite of the Republican’s pet names, was at fault for the disaster.
‘Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.’
California Governor Gavin Newsom surveys wildfire damage in the Pacific Palisades on Tuesday. President-elect Donald Trump slammed Newsom on Wednesday, blaming him for the fires, which as of noon Wednesday, were 0 percent contained
Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that he previously warned Newsom about the many fire dangers California faces
A picture of a smelt fish
‘He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California,’ the statement continued.
‘Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!’
Trump has previously criticized Newsom for his handling of fires and told him he needs to better manage the state’s many annual wildfires.
In a visit to The Golden State in November of 2018, the then president and newly elected governor both met following the devastating Camp Fire.
Speaking during their visit to Skyway Villa Mobile Home and RV Park in Paradise, California, Trump warned ‘you’ve got to take care of the floors’.
Footage of their exchange has resurfaced online amid calls for Newsom to stand down as wildfires ravage parts of Los Angeles, amid complains about fire hydrants not having water and power lines not being shut off.
In the 2018 clip, he says: ‘Get all of this cleaned out and protected. You’ve gotta take care of the floors. The floors of the forest.’
Speaking during their visit to Skyway Villa Mobile Home and RV Park in Paradise, California, in 2018, seen here, Trump warned ‘you’ve got to take care of the floors’
More than 30,000 people have now fled the city as California issues warn there is an ‘immediate threat to life’
Pacific Palisades residents have shared the fears they faced as they were forced to evacuate their mansions on Tuesday while a massive fire continues to spread
Trump again hit the governor in 2019 for doing a ‘terrible job’ managing the states forests.
‘I told him from the first day we met that he must ‘clean’ his forest floors regardless of what his bosses, the environmentalists, DEMAND of him,’ Trump posted at the time.
‘Must also do burns and cut fire stoppers,’ he added, in reference to forest management policies that were being overlooked.
In 2021 Newsom signed a bill directing over $15 billion to combat wildfires, drought and other climate challenges facing California.
That climate package dedicated nearly $1 billion exclusively to help prevent wildfires, after the two most destructive on record happened within one year of each other.
But these new blazes could be the most expensive to ever hit California.
Daniel Swain, climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, told CNN Wednesday the ongoing fires in southern California could come at a historic cost.
‘It is plausible that the Palisades Fire, in particular, will become the costliest on record period, not just in California, but in general,’ Swain told CNN.
A home burns during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles County, California on January 8, 2025
‘We’ve likely checked that box this time. I’m hoping we don’t check other boxes as well.’
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s incoming Press Secretary, affirmed her boss’s critique of Newsom in a post on X Wednesday afternoon.
‘President Trump is 100 percent right about the wildfires In 2020, he signed an order diverting water from Northern Cali to cities & farmers in the south Gavin Newscum immediately filed suit to ‘protect highly imperiled fish species close to extinction,” she wrote.
The fires have been so widespread that Vice President Kamala Harris’ Southern California home was under an evacuation order.
‘Last night, the Vice President’s neighborhood in Los Angeles was put under an evacuation order,’ the VP’s press secretary said in a statement.
‘No one was in her home at the time. She and the Second Gentleman are praying for the safety of their fellow Californians, the heroic first responders, and Secret Service personnel.’
