Gov. Gavin Newsom is shooting President-elect Donald Trump for comments he made Wednesday about the response to the deadly wildfires currently ravaging Southern California.
Trump spoke to reporters after attending a meeting Wednesday on Capitol Hill and accused Newsom of not “(doing) a good job,” but said they “work well together” and will again when he takes office. work later this month.
“It's very sad because I've been trying to get Gavin Newsom to let the water come in – you can have a lot of water up there, they're sending it from the Pacific – because they're trying to protect the little fish.” Trump said. “Because of the smell, they don't have water… It's the fault of the governor, and you can say, the administration.”
Newsom press office released a statement on social media after Trump's comments that there was a reason not to use the pumps.
PALISADES FIRE: HEIDI MONTAG, SPENCER PRATT LOSE HOME; PEOPLE LEAVE RITZY NEIGHBORHOOD
California Governor Gavin Newsom and President-elect Trump have clashed over various issues, including the California wildfires. (Getty/AP)
“LADWP said that due to the high demand for water, pump stations in low-lying areas did not have enough tanks to fill the pressure in high-lying areas, and the ongoing fire has hampered the ability of crews to get the pumps,” Newsom's press office wrote on X.
His office added that the city uses water tenders to provide water, which is a common method of fighting wildland fires.
Newsom's office also denied that there was a water shortage.
MALIBU, CA – January 08: Firefighters continue to battle the wind and fire as homes go up in flames in Malibu along Pacific Coast Highway near Carbon Canyon Road in the Palisades Fire on Wednesday January 8, 2025 . (David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
“Overall, there is no water shortage in Southern California right now, despite Trump saying he would open the imaginary spigot,” Newsom's office said.
The office posted a number of excerpts from California officials that water integrity and water supply are stable.
One of the explanations says that there is enough water to feed 40 million people for a year.
Earlier in the afternoon, Trump accused Newsom of refusing to sign the water restoration declaration and criticized him for his low profile. fire prevention.
“Let this work, and be a testament to the incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo. January 20th can't come soon enough!” Trump wrote on True Social.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) fired back at President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday after allegations that he mishandled the California wildfires. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Newsom's office says there is no such thing as a water restoration announcement.
They also noted that water supply and transportation are not related.
“Trump is conflating two completely unrelated things: the transfer of water to Southern California and the supply from domestic storage,” according to the post. “And again, there is no such document as a water restoration declaration – this is pure fiction.”
However, Trump was not done with his criticism of Newsom.
In a scathing late-night post on Truth Social, 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 parts of the United States of America is burning down,” Trump wrote. “He's an ass, and Gavin Newscum needs to resign. This is all his fault!!!”
In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper earlier Wednesday, Newsom was asked in general about Trump blaming him for the wildfire disaster.
“One can't even respond to it. I mean … you know, people are literally fleeing. People have lost their lives. Children have lost their schools. Families have been completely torn apart. Churches have been burned,” Newsom told Cooper. “This guy wanted to politicize it. I have a lot of thoughts, and I know what I want to say – I'm not going to do that.”
Newsom went on to praise President Biden, saying he “doesn't play politics.”
Biden visited a Los Angeles fire station Wednesday near Newsom for a briefing from officials about the raging wildfires.
The California wildfireswhich erupted on Tuesday afternoon, has forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes. Fires in the Los Angeles area threaten at least 28,000 buildings. At least five people were killed.
Newsom declared a state of emergency Tuesday after the Palisades fire grew out of control.