As lethal wildfires burn by Southern California, President-elect Donald Trump has spent the week attacking Democratic officers and persevering with a sample of spreading misinformation about pure disasters.
“I feel that Gavin is essentially incompetent, and I feel the mayor is essentially incompetent, and possibly each of them are simply stone-cold incompetent,” Trump stated on Thursday evening whereas internet hosting Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Because the fires broke out, Trump has pointed fingers at Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden, spreading false claims about California’s water policy and federal help.
For instance, Trump blamed Biden as he falsely claimed that the Federal Emergency Administration Company had “no cash” to assist California regardless of Congress not too long ago passing a catastrophe reduction supplemental totaling $29 billion.
The president-elect additionally pushed exaggerated claims as he accused Newsom of refusing to signal a “water restoration declaration,” saying he as an alternative diverted water sources with a view to shield the endangered Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta’s smelt fish.
“He needed to guard an basically nugatory fish known as a smelt, by giving it much less water (it did not work!), however did not care in regards to the individuals of California,” Trump posted on Reality Social.
Whereas there are laws that restrict the quantity of water pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to guard the species, the governor’s workplace stated there was no such declaration, calling the accusation “pure fiction.”
Biden and different emergency officers have additionally rejected Trump’s claims, sustaining the hearth was brought on by fierce winds and very dry circumstances and that the preliminary water scarcity occurred resulting from energy being shut off with a view to keep away from sparking further fires.
Nonetheless, Trump has lengthy pushed these claims, suggesting whereas on the marketing campaign path that he’d withhold assist from California if Newsom did not reinstate Trump’s insurance policies.
“The water coming right here is useless. And Gavin Newsom goes to signal these papers, and if he would not signal these papers, we cannot give him cash to place out all his fires, and we do not give him the cash to place out his fires. He is obtained issues,” Trump stated at a press convention at his Los Angeles golf course in September.
After a closed-door assembly with Senate Republicans on the Capitol on Wednesday, Trump continued to criticize Newsom’s dealing with of the pandemic whereas finally asserting that the 2 would wish to work collectively.
“So, what’s occurred is a tragedy, and the governor has not accomplished a superb job,” Trump informed ABC Information Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott.
“With that being stated, I obtained alongside effectively with him — when he was governor, we labored collectively very effectively, and we’d work collectively,” Trump stated. “I suppose it appears like we’ll be the one having to rebuild it.”
President-elect Donald Trump speaks throughout a gathering with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 9, 2025, in Palm Seaside, Fla.
Evan Vucci/AP
The devastation of the Palisades Hearth is seen within the early morning within the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 10, 2025.
John Locher/AP
It is not the primary time Trump has gone after emergency officers within the wake of disasters. When hurricanes brought about devastation in elements of Georgia and North Carolina final yr, Trump rapidly pivoted his marketing campaign schedule to give attention to these areas.
Throughout these visits, Trump repeatedly spread misinformation about FEMA’s response, incorrectly casting blame on federal officers within the Biden administration.
“They obtained hit with a really unhealthy hurricane, particularly North Carolina and elements of Georgia. However North Carolina actually obtained hit. I will inform you what, these individuals ought to by no means vote for a Democrat, as a result of they held again assist,” Trump claimed in an October interview.
Native and federal officers warned Trump about how his politically motivated rhetoric could possibly be inflicting hurt because the areas hit tried to rebuild; nonetheless, the president-elect usually refused to backtrack.
Whereas visiting Asheville, North Carolina, Trump refused to denounce the violence towards FEMA employees after being requested about threats made towards the employees.
“I feel it’s a must to let individuals understand how they’re doing,” he stated. “In the event that they had been doing an excellent job, I feel we should always say that, too, as a result of I feel they need to be rewarded. But when they are not doing — does that imply that in the event that they’re doing a poor job, we’re presupposed to not say it?”
As he attacked his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump politicized the occasions much more, scheduling a hurricane go to alongside Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, whom he had intensely criticized up till that time for his refusal to offer in to Trump’s calls for across the 2020 election.
Within the battleground state of Georgia, Trump’s tune modified: “Your governor is doing a improbable job, I’ll inform you that, and we’re all with them and with all people.”
Donald Trump, listens to a query as he visits Chez What Furnishings Retailer which was broken throughout Hurricane Helene on September 30, 2024 in Valdosta, Georgia.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Photos
Now, throughout his transition, Trump has used his social media platform to share his unfiltered ideas, usually responding to disasters briefly, rapid-fire statements, typically with deceptive context, earlier than all the data has been uncovered.
For instance, within the hours after a driver plowed right into a crowd on New Orleans’ Bourbon Avenue, Trump responded on-line by saying, “The criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we’ve in our nation,” falsely implying that the suspect was an immigrant who had crossed into the USA illegally.
The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was truly a U.S. Military veteran who was born within the U.S. and lived in Houston.
Even whereas in workplace, Trump obtained pushback at instances for peddling misinformation.
For instance, when he claimed that Alabama was within the path of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, main the Nationwide Weather Service to concern a public service announcement refuting Trump’s claims. Then, that very same yr, when senators first didn’t go catastrophe reduction assist to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico, Trump blamed native leaders as he unfold false claims in regards to the quantity of help they’d already been given.
“The individuals of Puerto Rico are GREAT, however the politicians are incompetent or corrupt,” Trump posted on the time.
Regardless of this sample, Republican governors nonetheless got here to Trump’s protection on Thursday evening, touting his management expertise as president throughout disasters.
“You could possibly criticize the president-elect, however I feel you even have to carry these different individuals accountable,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis informed reporters at Mar-a-Lago.
“I labored effectively with Biden throughout his time at pure disasters, however I work effectively with Donald Trump, so I am very assured as a state that is aware of we face these {that a} Trump administration goes to be very sturdy and goes to be there for the individuals, no matter social gathering,” he added.
