President Trump visits California to assess the damage caused by the devastating wildfires, renewing his criticism of Governor Newsom's handling of the disaster. The governor faces mounting pressure from both sides of the aisle, with accusations of mishandling the crisis and failing to address California's long-standing problems.
During his inaugural address, President Donald Trump criticized California's response to the Los Angeles wildfires as he is scheduled to visit the Golden State to survey the damage on Friday. Trump has been vocal of his disapproval of the way California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have handled the fire response, accusing them of 'gross incompetence,' even suggesting that Newsom resign as governor.
In his first televised sit-down interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity since returning to the White House, Trump ripped Newsom for his leadership leading up to the deadly wildfires and his defense of sanctuary cities. 'If you actually polled the people, they don’t want sanctuary cities,' Trump told Hannity. 'But Gavin Newsom does, and these radical left politicians do. I watched Gavin Newsom try to answer that question. He looked like an idiot. He was unable to answer.' Trump claimed the lack of forest management and Newsom's reported refusal to allow stormwater from the north to flow down freely to Southern California helped contribute to one of the most destructive wildfires in the state's history. Izzy Gardon, director of communications for Newsom's office, previously combated criticism of the governor's wildfire handling in a statement to Fox News Digital. 'The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need,' Gardon said. On Thursday, Newsom signed off on a relief package where the state will spend $2.5 billion to help with the Los Angeles wildfires recovery. 'This is about distilling a sense of hopefulness,' Newsom said during a news conference. Newsom's administration added that the state expects to be reimbursed by the federal government for the disaster relief funding. It is not known if Trump plans to meet with Newsom during his visit Friday. 'We are glad President Trump accepted the governor’s invitation to come to Los Angeles,' Newsom's office told Fox News Digital. 'We are glad he took our invitation to heart.' Trump's criticism of California and Newsom's leadership in the state spans years, with the president singling out forest management, sanctuary cities, homelessness, crime and spending as contributing factors to the state's condition. Mel Gibson calls out 'monumental mismanagement' of LA fires by California government after losing his home Trump is not the only person ripping Newsom for what is happening in California. In the aftermath of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, actor Mel Gibson, along with a number of other elite residents, accused Newsom and elected officials of mishandling the prevention and response to the disaster. 'As a citizen here, Newsom and Bass, they want us to trust them to reimagine the city, our city, and how they think it should be. I mean, look at what they’ve done so far to this town,' Gibson said in a previous exclusive interview with Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo. 'You got nothing but rampant crime, acute homelessness, high taxes, mismanagement of water, firefighters, defunding the department, and we’re supposed to trust them with millions of dollars to sort of remake where we live? It’s our city, it’s the city of the people, and they have another plan. … There’s still people from the Woolsey Fire still living in trailers. … When have you ever seen the government ‘build back better’? … At the very least, it's insensitive.' MEL GIBSON CALLS OUT 'MONUMENTAL MISMANAGEMENT' OF LA FIRES BY CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT AFTER LOSING HIS HOME The massive and deadly fires broke out in the Los Angeles area on Jan. 7, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee for safety as their homes and businesses were destroyed. Gibson also told Arroyo the elected officials’ mismanagement is another reason why Americans continue to flee the city. Other celebrities, including Justine Bateman, called out Newsom and other Los Angeles officials to be removed from office because of the fires. The governor's office previously shared a letter addressing water hydrants running out of water, stating that 'while overall water supply in Southern California is not an issue, water mobility in the initial response was an issue.' 'That is why @CAGovernor Newsom has ordered a full, independent review of LADWP. This cannot happen again,' the post read. California GOP leaders call for accountability after state can’t account for $24B spent on homeless crisis Prior to the Los Angeles wildfire crisis, California leadership were being scrutinized for not being able to explain what happened to $24 billion meant to curb the homelessness issue. California GOP leaders are calling for more accountability after the state auditor found that despite roughly $24 billion spent on homeless and housing programs during the 2018-2023 fiscal years, the problem didn’t improve in many citie
DONALD TRUMP GAVIN NEWSOM CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES SANCTUARY CITIES FOREST MANAGEMENT HOMELESSNESS MEL GIBSON
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