Gov. Gavin Newsom is firing back President-elect Donald Trump for comments he made Wednesday about the response to the deadly wildfires currently devastating Southern California.
Speaking to reporters after attending rallies Wednesday on Capitol Hill, Trump accused Newsom of “not doing a good job” but noted that they “worked well together” and would do so again if he takes office later this month.
“It’s very sad because I had Gavin Newsom trying to get water to come – you’d have a ton of water up there, they’re sending it from the Pacific Ocean – because they’re trying to protect a little fish,” Trump said. “Because of the smelt, they don’t have water… It’s a fault of the governor, and you could say, of the government.”
Newsom’s press office released a statement on social media following Trump’s comments saying there was a reason not to use the pumps.
PALISADES FIRE: HEIDI MONTAG, SPENCER PRATT LOSE HOME; Celebrities flee the RITZY NEIGHBORHOOD
California Governor Gavin Newsom and President-elect Trump have clashed over several issues, including the California wildfires. (Getty/AP)
“LADWP said that due to high water demand, pump stations at lower elevations did not have sufficient pressure tanks at higher elevations, and the ongoing fire hampered crews’ access to the pumps,” Newsom’s press office wrote at X.
His office added that the city used water tenders to deliver water, which is a common tactic for firefighting in wild areas.
Newsom’s office has also dismissed claims that there is a water shortage.
MALIBU, CA – January 8: Firefighters continue to battle wind and fire as homes in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway near Carbon Canyon Road go up in flames in the Palisades Fire on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. (David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
“Broadly speaking, there is no current water shortage in Southern California, despite Trump’s claims that he would turn on an imaginary tap,” Newsom’s office said.
The agency placed a number of quotes from California officials say that water reliability and water supply are stable.
One of the comments 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 declaration and criticized him for the low water levels fire management.
“Let this serve and be emblematic of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo. January 20 can’t come soon enough!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) fired back at President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday over accusations that he mishandled California’s wildfires. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Newsom’s office said there is no such thing as a water restoration explanation.
They also noted that the supply and transportation of water are not related.
“Trump is conflating two completely unrelated issues: the transportation of water to Southern California and the delivery from local storage,” the post said. “And again, there is no such thing as the water restoration explanation – this is pure fiction.”
Yet Trump was not done with his criticism of Newsom.
In a scathing post on Truth Social, Trump said the wildfires were “all his fault!!!” were.
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 to the ground,” Trump wrote. “It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum needs to resign. This is all his fault!!!”
In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper earlier on Wednesday, Newsom was asked generally whether Trump blamed him for the wildfire disaster.
“You can’t even respond to it. I mean… you know, people are literally running. People have lost their lives. Children have lost their schools. Families have been completely torn apart. Churches have burned down,” Newsom told Cooper. “This man wanted to politicize it. I have a lot of thoughts, and I know what I want to say – I won’t.”
Newsom praised President Biden and said he was “not playing politics.”
Biden visited a Los Angeles fire station with Newsom on Wednesday for a briefing from authorities on the raging wildfires.
The Wildfires in Californiathat broke out on Tuesday afternoon have already forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes. The 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, the fire grew to an uncontrollable level.
