Donald Trump blamed Gavin Newsom for “apocalyptic” wildfires raging in southern California on Wednesday, but the governor’s office hit back at the president-elect and accused him of “playing politics.”
At least two people were killed and tens of thousands fled their homes as fires engulfed parts of Los Angeles County. The flames, fueled by the strong Santa Ana winds, also destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses.
“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 wrote in a post on Truth Social, using his oft-repeated moniker “Newscum” for the governor.
The president-elect also alleged Newsom cared more about protecting the Delta smelt, a small endangered fish species that lives in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, than Californians with his water policies.
“Now the ultimate price is being paid,” Trump wrote. “I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this.”
In 2019, the Trump Administration presented a new plan to pump more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to supply local farms. Some officials and environmentalists objected that the new rules would increase the chances that salmon, smelt and steelhead would go extinct, according to Cal Matters.
Federal and state officials in California last month announced new rules for operating two water delivery systems, the outlet reported at the time. The rules apply to two projects carrying water from Northern California to southern parts of the state.
Newsom’s office quickly knocked Trump’s accusations on Wednesday. Izzy Gardon, Newsom’s communications director, told USA TODAY in a statement “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,” she said.
Newsom’s office announced he was canceling a trip to Washington for former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral to respond to the fire.
But Trump wasn’t the only conservative leader who criticized Newsom this week. Billionaire Elon Musk targeted California’s state laws in a post on X: “These fires are easily avoidable, but nonsense regulations in California prevent action being taken, so year after year homes burn down and more people die.”
The White House said President Biden will receive a briefing from CalFire officials on the wildfire at a Santa Monica Fire Station.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal
