Trump Says Gavin Newsom’s Attempt to Protect an ‘Essentially Worthless Fish’ Caused Fire Disaster
In early January 2025, President-elect Donald Trump criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom for alleged mismanagement during a severe wildfire outbreak in Los Angeles. Trump accused Newsom of not signing a water restoration declaration that would have allowed more water to be diverted to areas affected by wildfires, stating that this inaction contributed to the firefighters’ struggles.He claimed that the governor prioritized protecting a fish species over the needs of Californians, which he viewed as a disastrous policy failure.
Amidst the wildfire crisis, reports indicated that firefighters faced difficulties due to water shortages from hydrants, allegedly becuase reservoirs had not been replenished in time. Developer Rick Caruso highlighted the critical lack of water for firefighting efforts in the exclusive Pacific Palisades neighborhood, attributing the failures to both local and state management issues.
In response, Newsom declared a state of emergency due to the extreme fire conditions exacerbated by high winds. as multiple wildfires raged across the area, resulting in significant property damage and fatalities, Trump called the fires emblematic of what he considered the mismanagement of California’s leaders, urging for immediate corrective actions regarding water access and fire preparedness.
President-elect Donald Trump accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom of being partly to blame for Los Angeles firefighters not having the water they needed to fight wildfires that erupted on Tuesday.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump posted on .
“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid,” the president-elect continued.
“I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!” Trump wrote.
Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 8, 2025
He added in a later post, “The fires in Los Angeles may go down, in dollar amount, as the worst in the History of our Country.
“Let this serve, and be emblematic, of the gross incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum Duo. January 20th cannot come fast enough!”
The fires in Los Angeles may go down, in dollar amount, as the worst in the History of our Country. In many circles, they’re doubting whether insurance companies will even have enough money to pay for this catastrophe. Let this serve, and be emblematic, of the gross incompetence…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 8, 2025
Newsom filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in 2020, seeking to block the implementation of new federal water rules, which were anticipated to deliver 600,000 acre-feet of water in an average year from the northern part of California to points south in the state, Politico reported.
Newsom argued that the Endangered Species Act applied to salmon and the Delta smelt, and therefore Trump’s rule change was unlawful.
Last month, the Biden administration completed a new rule change siding with Newsom.
The Los Angeles Times reported that firefighters seeking to combat the blaze in the exclusive Pacific Palisades neighborhood experienced fire hydrants running out of water.
L.A. developer Rick Caruso, who owns the Palisades Village shopping center, told the news outlet, “There’s no water in the fire hydrants.”
Around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, a hydrant firefighters were using on Lachman Lane ran dry. You can hear what sounds like air pushing out, but no water. #PalisadesWildfire #PalisadeFire #PacificPalisades pic.twitter.com/09e6FRrcIM
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) January 8, 2025
A spokesman for the L.A.’s Department of Water and Power acknowledged reports of the lack of water, but could not provide details on the number of hydrants without water.
“In a statement, the DWP said water crews were working in the neighborhood ‘to ensure the availability of water supplies,’” the Times said.
“This area is served by water tanks and close coordination is underway to continue supplying the area,” the DWP said in its statement.
Caruso — who previously served as a commissioner of the city’s Board of Water and Power and ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2022 — told L.A. local Fox affiliate KTTV-TV, “They can’t fight a fire without water and the resources that are needed.”
🚨 #BREAKING: Los Angeles fire hydrants are OUT OF WATER because the county REFUSED to refill reservoirs, per Rick Caruso
“You can’t fight a fire without water!”
The Mayor did ZERO prep despite the advanced warning of winds and fire risk.
This is EXACTLY what happened on Maui! pic.twitter.com/fBj445yGgw
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 8, 2025
“The real issue to me is two-fold,” he explained. “We’ve had decades to go remove the brush in these hills that spread so quickly, and the second is, you’ve got to have water and my understanding is the reservoir was not refilled in time and in a timely manner to keep the hydrants going, so that’s a failure whether on DWP’s part or another city agency. But this is basic stuff. This isn’t high science here.”
This is what’s left of the Pacific Palisades. The mall survived. Most everything else is gone. Homes, apartment complexes… businesses. pic.twitter.com/Vfz721V48J
— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025
Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday citing a “highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk.”
On the ground in Pacific Palisades and getting briefed by @CAL_FIRE on the #PalisadesFire in Los Angeles.
Californians in the affected areas should stay alert and follow evacuation orders from local authorities ➡️ https://t.co/gIKZPSxfln pic.twitter.com/v8A4N9FK9i
— Governor Newsom (@CAgovernor) January 7, 2025
CBS News reported that as of Wednesday morning, there were four fires burning in the Los Angeles area Wednesday: the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire (near Pasadena), the Hurst Fire (in Sylmar), and the Woodley Fire.
More than 1,000 homes and other buildings have burned to the ground and at least two people are dead.
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