President-elect Donald Trump blasted Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) for his mishandling of the wildfires blazing in the Los Angeles area after he did not sign a water restoration declaration that would have helped his state.

The president-elect blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom for the massive fires that have forced tens of thousands to evacuate, saying the governor should have signed a declaration to pump more water through the state.

Trump has said he would turn on “a very large faucet” that could send millions of gallons of water from the Columbia River to Los Angeles.

Get the facts about the dispute between Gov. Newsom and President-elect Trump over a water restoration declaration in California.

Trump, during the 2024 campaign, threatened to withhold federal aid to California wildfires as president if Newsom didn’t change that policy. He said at the time that he would give the Golden State “more water than almost anybody has,” allowing farmers to have full use of their land.

In a post on his social media site, Mr. Trump mocked Gov. Gavin Newsom, calling him “incompetent” and claiming that the governor had blocked an infusion of water to Southern California because of concern about the impact on a threatened fish.

Trump has argued since 2016 that California should divert more of the water contained in the northern part of the state to farmers instead of wildlife conservation.

As firefighters scrambled to stem the still-spreading infernos, Trump lashed out at Newsom for implementing a water management plan that many Republicans and farmers oppose.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) offered assistance to California on Wednesday as the state grapples with severe wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area.  “Our prayers are with everyone affected by

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for the Pacific Palisades after a massive wildfire erupted on Tuesday, quickly growing to engulf more than 2,900 acres and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate.