Political tensions between President-elect Donald Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom are hitting a fever pitch as wildfires continue to rage across the Los Angeles area.
The New York Times reported that the feud between the two high-profile politicians has reached its most contentious point as Trump prepares to be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States in just a matter of days, and as the term-limited governor of the largest blue state in the country remains quiet about his plans for 2028. While President Joe Biden has promised that the federal government will cover 100% of the costs of rebuilding for the next six months, it remains uncertain whether Trump will follow through on that promise when he assumes office on January 20th.
The president-elect has a penchant for conditioning federal disaster aid for his political opponents, having done so on multiple occasions during his first term in the White House. During the 2024 campaign, he suggested Newsom wouldn't get federal money to rebuild from natural disasters unless he agreed to change water policy to be more accommodating to California's farmers (California almonds are known for requiring a large amount of water).
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"If he doesn’t sign those papers, we won’t give him money to put out all his fires," Trump said last fall. "And, if we don’t give him the money to put out his fires, he’s got problems."
Trump was heavily criticized for his refusal to direct funding to Washington state during a round of wildfires in 2020 following a feud with Democratic Governor Jay Inslee over the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. Inslee told the Times that he was "blown away" when Trump said he "wouldn't help [Washington state] at all."
"We have to express hope that there will be some epiphany, where this guy finally wants to help people instead of score political points," Inslee said.
The president-elect has previously butted heads with California's liberal governor over wildfire aid during his first term. Politico's E&E News reported last fall that during the Golden State's 2018 wildfires, Trump was initially resistant to providing disaster relief, until aides told him that there were a significant number of his supporters who had directly suffered from the fires.
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Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said that the same holds true for the town of Pacific Palisades, which has been ravaged by the Eaton Fire this week.
“I’d be shocked if Trump doesn’t have a lot of supporters who live in the Palisades,” he told the Times. “He should think twice about just blanket trying to punish California.”
How the incoming Trump administration will ultimately respond to California's federal disaster aid remains largely unknown. But Dave Jones, who served two terms as California's insurance commissioner, told the outlet that the scope of the disaster necessitates federal intervention.
"We need the help of the federal government, and that’s a big open question now," Jones said. "Trump is already out there making up stuff about this event and who is at fault."
Click here to read the Times' full report (subscription required).