California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) condemned Donald Trump for threatening to withhold aid to Los Angeles wildfire victims because the president's feelings were hurt.
In January, "hurricane-force winds" kicked up more than a dozen wildfires that raged through L.A., as well as San Diego County. More than 25 people were killed and thousands of homes and other structures burned to the ground.
In an email to supporters, Newsom wrote, "Families are still recovering. They need help," adding, "Yesterday, President Trump threatened to withhold that help out of spite. That's right – because he thinks I’m not being nice enough to him."
Newsom linked to video of Trump being asked about sending additional wildfire relief to California.
"Hatred is never a good thing in politics," Trump said. "When you don't like somebody, don't respect somebody, it's harder for that person to get money when you're on top."
Trump also called Newsom "incompetent," adding, "You clean the floor of your forest, and you won't have any forest fires."
"Let me be clear: Sucking up to the President should not be a requirement for him to do the right thing for the American people," Newsom wrote. "And I am talking about the millions of people in California who voted for him, as well."
Newsom added, "Only a truly disturbed person would threaten to withhold aid from victims because they don’t like someone."
The governor also lowered the boom on Trump, writing, "I will remind him: California pays the bills around here. We're a donor state. In 2023, Californians contributed $83.1 billion more than we received from the federal government. The money we are asking for is our money. We're not a welfare state like Texas - whose Republican leadership has created a situation where they take $71 billion more from the federal government than they provide."
Newsom's email included a link to a New York Times article that asked, "Do Californians Really Pay Trump's Bills?"
"Yes we do," Newsom wrote at the time.