A wall of fire ravaged neighborhoods, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee for their lives. But amidst the carnage that scorched areas of Los Angeles due to strong winds, Donald Trump saw an opportunity.
The president-elect has renewed his long-running feud with California Gov. Gavin Newsom over six major flare-ups, in a state where he is likely to emerge as a key opponent of the Democratic governor’s plans for a second term. He responded with a jab early on.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Newsom have clashed sharply over issues such as fire safety, environmental policy, climate change, green cars and immigration.
And the president-elect wasted no time in holding people accountable for simultaneous wildfires in the Los Angeles area that have killed at least five people so far.
In a post on his Truth social network, President Trump condemned the “gross incompetence and mismanagement of Biden and the newscam duo.” He blamed the depletion of fire hydrants on California’s environmental policies that divert fresh water to protect wetlands and wildlife. “I call on this incompetent governor to allow beautiful, clean fresh water to flow into California! He is responsible for this,” Trump wrote as part of a series of posts on social media. , later wrote that Newsom should resign.
In Trump’s misinformation game, Newsom was responsible for diverting water to protect Delta smelt (a “worthless fish” in Trump’s words), which resulted in the burning down of Angeleno residents’ homes. Whether or not it’s true is not very important. Enough people believe the president-elect may be able to do political damage to the governor, who is one of the most high-profile Democrats in the nation and a potential 2028 presidential candidate. is necessary.
California is also an easy target, as it is a liberal state that supported Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s election. The conceit that states and cities are imposing self-defeating environmental policies fits perfectly with President Trump’s argument that liberal governance in blue states and cities leads to chaos, crime, and misery.
“This is not the government. I can’t wait until January 20th!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
There will be legitimate questions about the state of California and the city of Los Angeles’ level of fire preparedness. Like many politicians tested in the crucible of natural disasters, Newsom and city officials will be held accountable for any failures. But in dire situations like this, the blame usually waits for the crisis to subside.
Read Collinson’s full analysis here.
