As wildfires continue to devastate the Los Angeles area, President-elect Trump has pointedly blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom for the disaster, recently escalating his criticism to demand Newsom’s resignation. Trump expressed his dismay on Truth Social, saying, “One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”
Trump’s remarks have intensified a political showdown as the fires, which have claimed at least five lives and remain entirely uncontained, rage on. He continued his criticism by targeting both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a subsequent post: “Fire is spreading rapidly for 3 days — ZERO CONTAINMENT. Nobody has ever seen such failed numbers before! Gross incompetence by Gavin Newscum and Karen Bass…And Biden’s FEMA has no money — all wasted on the Green New Scam! L.A. is a total wipeout!!!”
Despite these claims, FEMA has activated federal funds to assist with up to 75 percent of the firefighting costs in California. Trump also faulted Newsom earlier for not increasing water supply from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to prevent such disasters, a move restricted to protect the local smelt population—a regulation Trump previously attempted to override to benefit agricultural interests.
Newsom has responded cautiously to Trump’s provocations, focusing on the immediate tragedy affecting California residents: “People are literally fleeing,” he said. “People have lost their lives. Kids lost their schools, families completely torn asunder, churches burned down.”
The fires, including the Palisades fire west of Los Angeles, the Eaton fire north of Pasadena, and the Hurst fire in the San Fernando Valley, have collectively displaced at least 100,000 people and destroyed hundreds of structures. The situation has escalated to what may become one of California’s worst disasters in history.
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