Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed back on President-elect Donald Trump’s comments Wednesday about responding to the deadly wildfires now devastating Southern California.
Trump spoke to reporters after attending a meeting on Capitol Hill on Wednesday and accused Newsom of “no”[doing] Well done,” but noted they “worked well together” and will do so again when he takes office later this month.
“It’s very sad because I’ve been trying to get Gavin Newsom to allow the water to come in – there’s going to be a lot of water out there and they’re sending it out from the Pacific – because they’re trying to protect a little fish,” he said. Trump said. “To take a whiff, they didn’t have water… It’s the governor’s fault and you could say the administration’s fault.”
After Trump’s speech, Newsom’s press office issued a statement on social media saying there was a reason the pumps were not used.
Fence Fire: Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt lose homes; celebrities flee posh neighborhoods
California Governor Gavin Newsom and President-elect Trump have clashed over a variety of issues, including the California wildfires. (Getty/AP)
Newsom’s press office wrote on Pump capacity.
His office added that the city uses water trucks to provide water, a common tactic in wildland firefighting.
Newsom’s office also dismissed claims of water shortages.
MALIBU, CA – JANUARY 8: Firefighters continue to battle wind and fire after a house caught fire along Pacific Coast Highway near Carbon Canyon Road in Malibu on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, in the Palisades Fire. (David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
“Overall, Southern California is not currently short of water, despite Trump’s claims that he will turn on some imaginary taps,” Newsom’s office said.
The office released multiple quotes from California officials about water reliability and stable supplies.
One review stated that the amount of water is enough to supply 40 million people for a year.
Pacific Palisades fire forces thousands to flee California homes; Govt. Newsom declares state of emergency
Earlier in the afternoon, Trump accused Newsom of refusing to sign a water restoration declaration and criticized his poor fire containment capabilities.
“Let this incident become a symbol of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum duo. January 20th cannot come soon enough!” Trump wrote in the “Truth Society.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom fired back at President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, accusing him of mishandling the California wildfires. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Newsom’s office said there was no such thing as a statement to restore water supplies.
They also point out that water supply and transportation are unrelated.
“Trump is conflating two completely unrelated things: delivering water to Southern California and supplying water from local storage,” the post read. “Again, there is no such thing as a water restoration statement — this is pure fiction of.”
Still, Trump’s criticism of Newsom isn’t over yet.
In a scathing late-night post on The Truth Society, Trump said the wildfires were “all his fault!!!”
Trump also called on Newsom to resign.
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“One of the best and most beautiful places in the United States of America is burning to the ground,” Trump wrote. “Burned to ashes and Gavin Newscomb should resign. This is all his fault!!!”
Earlier Wednesday, in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Newsom was asked about Trump generally blaming him for the wildfire disaster.
“People can’t even react to this. I mean… you know, people are literally fleeing. People are losing their lives. Kids are losing their schools. Families are completely torn apart. Churches are being burned down,” Newsom told Cooper. . “This guy wants to politicize it. I have a lot of ideas, I know what I want to say — and I won’t.”
Newsom went on to praise President Biden, saying he was “not playing politics.”
Biden visited a Los Angeles fire station with Newsom on Wednesday to be briefed by authorities on the raging wildfires.
this California wildfiresThe fires, which broke out on Tuesday afternoon, have forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes. Fires threaten at least 28,000 buildings in the Los Angeles area. At least five people died.
Newsom declares state of emergency The Palisades Fire grew out of control Tuesday.
