Governor Gavin Newsom responds President-elect Donald Trump For comments he made Wednesday about the response to the deadly wildfires currently ravaging Southern California.
Trump spoke with reporters after attending Wednesday's meetings on Capitol Hill and accused Newsom of not “doing a good job,” but noted that they “worked well together” and will do so again when he takes office later this month.
“It's very sad because I've been trying to convince Gavin Newsom to let it in the water – you'd have massive water in there, and they're sending it in from the Pacific – because they're trying to protect a very small fish.” Trump said. “For the son-in-law, they have no water… It is the fault of the governor and, you could say, the administration.”
Newsom Press Office She issued a statement on social media following Trump's comments saying there was a reason not to use the pumps.
Palisades Fire: Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt lose their home; Celebrities flee the Ritzy
California Governor Gavin Newsom and President-elect Trump have clashed over various issues, including the California wildfires. (Getty/AP)
“LADWP said that due to high water demand, pumping stations at lower elevations did not have enough pressure refill tanks at higher elevations, and the ongoing fire hampered crews’ ability to access the pumps,” Newsom’s press office wrote on X. .
His office added that the city used water tenders to provide water, a common tactic in fighting wildland fires.
Newsom's office also denied claims of water shortages.
MALIBU, CA – JANUARY 08: Firefighters continue to battle winds and fires as homes catch fire in Malibu along the 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’s claims that he would turn on a fake tap,” Newsom’s office said.
The office published a number of quotes from Officials in California Saying that the reliability of water and water supply is stable.
One comment said there was enough water to supply 40 million people for a year.
Earlier in the afternoon, Trump accused Newsom of refusing to sign a water restoration proclamation and criticized him for the decline Contain fires.
He added: “Let this serve as a symbol of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscom duo. January 20 can't come fast enough!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) responded to President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday after accusations that he was mishandling California wildfires. (Chip Somodevila/Getty Images)
Newsom's office said there is no such thing as a water restoration declaration.
They also pointed out that water supply and transportation were unrelated.
“Trump is conflating two completely unrelated things: transporting water to Southern California and supply from local storage,” the post said. “And again, there is no document like the Water Restoration Declaration – this is pure fiction.”
However, Trump is not finished 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.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning to the ground,” Trump wrote. “It's Ash, and Gavin Newscomb should resign. This is all his fault!!!”
In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper earlier Wednesday, Newsom was asked generally whether Trump blames 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 are completely torn apart. Churches have burned,” Newsom told Cooper. “This guy wanted to politicize it. I have a lot of ideas, I know what I want to say – I won’t do it.”
Newsom went on to praise President Biden, saying he “doesn't play politics.”
Biden visited a fire station on Wednesday in Los Angeles alongside Newsom to get a briefing from authorities on the raging wildfires.
the Wildfires in CaliforniaThe fires that broke out on Tuesday afternoon forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes. Los Angeles area fires threaten at least 28,000 structures. At least five people were killed.
Newsom declared a state of emergency Tuesday after the Palisades Fire grew to an uncontrollable level.
