Newsom accuses Trump of lying as fire toll rises

Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, criticizes the misinformation propagated by Trump and invites him to come and see for himself the devastation and destruction caused by the fires in Los Angeles, whose death toll continues to rise.

In an interview with NBC News, he adds, “Misinformation and disinformation don’t benefit or help any of us.”

In a letter sent to President-elect Trump, California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged Trump to visit his state and see the destruction from the wildfires in person.

— NBC News (@nbcnews.com) 2025-01-11T15:45:01.796Z

Governor Gavin Newsom, regularly criticized by President-elect Donald Trump since the start of the Los Angeles fires, has been falsely accused by Trump, in multiple posts on Truth Social, of blocking a measure that would have allowed water to flow from northern to southern California.

Trump accuses Newsom of wanting to protect “a virtually worthless fish called the smelt”, justifying his refusal to sign the measure. He adds, “He’s the one responsible for this situation.”

In addition to criticizing California’s governor, Trump also takes a swipe at President Joe Biden, saying, “NO WATER IN THE FIRE DRAINS, NO MONEY FOR FEMA. THIS IS WHAT JOE BIDEN LEAVES ME. THANK YOU, JOE!”

For his part, Newsom responds that Trump is unjustifiably trying to link smelt to these fires, which he says is not only inaccurate, but also incomprehensible to anyone familiar with California’s water management policy.

Newsom fears that Trump, who threatened to suspend disaster aid to the state of California after his inauguration, will make good on his threat. He fears that this aid, essential for those in need, will be cut off purely for political gamesmanship.

During the interview, Newsom said he had received no response to the invitation sent to Trump in a written letter, encouraging him to return to California to see first-hand the devastation caused by the wildfires, as he had done during the Paradise, California, wildfires in November 2018.

He also invited him to meet Americans affected by the fires and join him in thanking the heroic firefighters and first responders who risk their lives on the ground.

It should be remembered that these major fires have claimed the lives of 25 people, while several others are still missing.

According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, eight victims have perished in the Palisades fire and 17 in the Eaton fire to date.