In an explosive interview with CNN, Governor Gavin Newsom deflected blame for the hydrants that ran out of water in the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades. Instead, he pointed fingers at local officials.
“Look, the local folks are trying to figure that out,” Newsom stammered, as footage of devastated neighborhoods played on split screens. He rambled on, “I mean, those hydrants are typical for two or three fires—maybe one fire—and you have something of this scale… but again, that’s gonna be determined by the local.”
Critics weren’t buying it. “You’re the governor! Where’s your leadership?” a distraught resident shouted during a local press conference.
Trump unleashes fury
President-elect Donald Trump wasted no time piling on, unleashing a scathing attack on Newsom for what he called “criminal negligence.”
“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt… but didn’t care about the people of California,” Trump roared on Truth Social, claiming Newsom had blocked a federal water diversion order that could have mitigated the crisis. “Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA!”
Trump’s words lit up social media, sparking a #FireNewsomNow hashtag that trended nationwide.
When pressed by Cooper to respond to Trump’s accusations, Newsom visibly bristled. “One can’t even respond to it,” he snapped. “People are literally fleeing, people lost their lives, kids lost their schools, families completely torn asunder, churches burned down. This guy wanted to politicize it.” He paused, clenching his jaw before adding, “I have a lot of thoughts, and I know what I want to say—I won’t.”
Bass slammed for absence
While Newsom fumbled through his defense, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass found herself at the center of another firestorm. The mayor, who cut $17.6 million from the city’s fire department budget this year, was blasted for being 7,400 miles away in Africa attending Ghana’s presidential inauguration while her city burned.
“Where was she? In Ghana?!” an enraged local screamed during a town hall. “She should’ve been here, saving our homes instead of taking selfies overseas!”
Bass’s budget cuts for the Los Angeles Fire Department were already under scrutiny, but the timing of her absence poured gasoline on the outrage. “She’s playing diplomat while we’re losing everything,” said another resident, their voice shaking with anger.
California on the brink
As the fires continue to rage, so does the fury of Californians. The devastation has ignited a political inferno, with residents demanding accountability from their leaders. Newsom and Bass are under siege, while Trump fans the flames with his fiery rhetoric.
For the families who have lost everything, the blame game is cold comfort. One homeowner, standing in the charred remains of what was once their living room, put it bluntly: “They all have blood on their hands.”