WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump threatened to withhold wildfire relief from California if it doesn’t reroute water to the southern part of the state. He also hinted at a possible overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Referring to an executive order he signed earlier in the week ordering California to redirect water from the northern part of the state, Trump said Wednesday evening in an interview with Sean Hannity that he thought the federal government should withhold federal funds.
“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down into there,” he said. “It’s a political thing. I don’t know what it is.”
Trump also threatened to shut off wildfire relief to California last year during the 2024 presidential campaign if the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, refused to change his policies protecting an endangered species of a small fish – called smelt.
Newsom’s office has clapped back at the president, however, saying the state’s fish conservation efforts in Northern California aren’t responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas.
“The only thing fishy are Trump’s facts,” said a Jan. 21 post on X from the governor’s office. “California pumps as much water now as it could under prior Trump-era policies. And there is no shortage of water in Southern California.”
The president is leveling these threats ahead of his first trip away from Washington since retaking the White House, when he plans to visit storm-ravaged North Carolina and wildfire-stricken California. It is unclear if Trump will meet with Newsom while he is there. The California governor asked Trump to visit in a letter.
“We are glad President Trump accepted the Governor’s invitation to come to Los Angeles,” Newsom spokesman Brandon Richards said in an email.
Trump also used Wednesday’s interview to slam FEMA, which is charged with helping the country before, during and after disasters. He suggested in the Fox News interview that he plans to reform the agency in a way that would leave more of the financial burden to the states.
“But unless you have certain types of leadership, it’s really, it gets in the way,” Trump said. “And FEMA is going to be a whole big discussion very shortly because I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems.”
The White House did not respond to a request for further clarification on the changes that Trump wants to make to the agency.
