President Trump Criticizes California Governor Amid Cataclysmic Wildfires in Los Angeles
By COLLEEN LONG
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cataclysmic wildfires are raging across Los Angeles, and President-elect Donald Trump has not been offering much sympathy. Instead, he has been claiming that he could do a better job managing the crisis, spreading falsehoods, and casting blame on the state’s Democratic governor.
Trump has lashed out at his longtime political foe, Governor Gavin Newsom’s forest management policies, and falsely claimed that the state’s fish conservation efforts are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas. Referring to the governor by a derisive nickname, Trump has even called for Newsom to resign.
As more than 180,000 people have been under evacuation orders and the fires have consumed more than 45 square miles (116 square kilometers), one blaze that destroyed the neighborhood of Pacific Palisades became the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history.
Trump’s ongoing feud with Newsom is just one aspect of the current crisis. The wildfires are a stark reminder of the increasing impact of climate change, with wildfire season growing longer due to rising drought and heat levels.
Despite the environmental dangers posed by climate change, Trump has refused to acknowledge the issue, instead blaming natural disasters on his political opponents or acts of God. He has even pledged to expand oil drilling and reduce investment in renewable energy.
On social media, Trump criticized Newsom for not taking action to address the fire hydrant issue, calling for the governor to “open up the water main.” However, the problem is more complex than a simple solution, and the blame cannot be solely placed on the state’s water distribution policies.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass revealed that roughly 20% of hydrants across the city went dry as firefighting crews battled the blazes. The intense demand for water due to the ferocity of the fires overwhelmed the municipal water system, designed for fighting fires at a much smaller scale.
President Joe Biden, who was in California for an environmental event that was canceled due to the fires, appeared with Newsom at a Santa Monica firehouse and quickly issued a major disaster declaration for California, releasing immediate federal funds to aid in the crisis.
However, any further federal response will be overseen by Trump, who has a history of withholding or delaying federal aid to punish his political enemies. In the past, he has threatened to withhold funding for firefighting efforts in California as a form of retribution.
Despite the challenges faced by Californians in the wake of the wildfires, Trump’s support in the state has actually increased in recent years. This growing support may embolden him in his conflicts with Democratic leaders in California, as he seeks to leverage the crisis for political gain.
As the fires continue to devastate areas in and around Los Angeles, Trump has framed the losses as potentially damaging to the state’s tax base, emphasizing the impact on some of the most valuable homes in the world.
It remains to be seen how the situation will unfold as the wildfires continue to ravage California, testing the state’s resilience and the effectiveness of its response efforts.
Associated Press Writer Maya Sweedler contributed to this report.
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