Newsom, Trump trade fiery barbs as wildfires ravage Los Angeles

Gov. Gavin Newsom is firing back at President-elect Donald Trump for comments he made Wednesday about the response to deadly wildfires currently devastating Southern California.

Trump spoke with reporters after attending meetings Wednesday on Capitol Hill and accused Newsom of not “[doing] a good job,” but noted they “worked well together” and would again when he takes office later this month.

“It’s very sad because I’ve been trying to get Gavin Newsom to allow water to come – you’d have tremendous water up there, they send it out from the Pacific – because they’re trying to protect a tiny little fish,” Trump said. “For the sake of a smelt, they have no water… It’s a mistake of the governor, and you could say, the administration.”

Newsom’s press office released a statement on social media following Trump’s remarks saying there was a reason for not using the pumps. 

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“LADWP said that because of the high water demand, pump stations at lower elevations did not have enough pressure refill tanks at higher elevations, and the ongoing fire hampered the ability of crews to access the pumps,” Newsom’s press office wrote on X. 

His office added that the city used water tenders to supply water, which is a common tactic in wildland firefighting. 

Newsom’s office also dismissed claims there is a water shortage.

“Broadly speaking, there is no water shortage in Southern California right now, despite Trump’s claims that he would open some imaginary spigot,” Newsom’s office said.

The office posted a number of quotes from California officials saying water reliability and water supply are stable.

One of the comments said there was enough water to supply 40 million people for a year.

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Earlier in the afternoon, Trump accused Newsom of refusing to sign a water restoration declaration and criticized him for the low fire containment.

“Let this serve, and be emblematic, of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo. January 20th cannot come fast enough!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

Newsom’s office said there was no such thing as a water restoration declaration.

They also noted that the supply and transport of water are unrelated.

“Trump is conflating two entirely unrelated things: the conveyance of water to Southern California and supply from local storage,” according to the post. “And again, there is no such document as the water restoration declaration – this is pure fiction.”

Still, 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.

“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground,” Trump wrote. “It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”

In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper earlier on 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. Kids lost their schools. Families completely torn apart. Churches burned down,” Newsom told Cooper. “This guy wanted to politicize it. I have a lot of thoughts, and I know what I want to say – I won‘t.”

Newsom went on to praise President Biden, saying he “didn‘t play politics.” 

Biden visited a fire station Wednesday in Los Angeles alongside Newsom for a briefing from authorities on the raging wildfires.

The California wildfires, which ignited Tuesday afternoon, have already forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes. The Los Angeles area fires are threatening 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 unmanageable level.