Trump blames Newsom for 'apocalyptic' California wildfires
Palisade Fire: What we know
Firefighters scrambled to corral a fast-moving wildfire in the Los Angeles hillsides dotted with celebrity homes as a fierce windstorm hit Southern California on Tuesday, fanning the blaze seen for miles as scores of residents abandoned their cars and fled on foot to safety with roads blocked.
PALISADES, Calif. - President-elect Donald Trump blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom for the "apocalyptic" wildfires raging in Los Angeles County.
What we know:
"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," Trump posted on his Truth Social account on Wednesday morning.
As The Hill reports, the amount of water that can be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is limited under federal and state regulations to protect a fish called the smelt. However, the Trump administration said in 2019 that pumping more water from the Delta to supply farms would not endanger the 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. 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!"
Thousands evacuated
The backstory:
Trump's comments come as three major wildfires rip through Los Angeles County, with the largest being the Palisades Fire. The blaze has scorched nearly 3,000 acres and destroyed 1,000 structures, forcing 30,000 residents to flee.
Firefighters from all over the state have been dispatched to assist in the firefight.
Trump believes that what California is experiencing could have been preventable had his political foe signed the declaration.
Newsom's response
The other side:
Newsom, who has never shied away from a verbal spar with Trump, fired back, saying that the declaration is "pure fiction."
"There is no such document as the water restoration declaration – that is pure fiction. The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need," Newsom said on X.
Trump's mention of a declaration is untrue.
The Source: Information for this story came from the social media accounts of President-elect Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, as well as previous reporting.