Governor Gavin Newsom has accused former President Donald Trump of spreading “misinformation” regarding water shortages during California’s wildfires, almost a year after the fires began.
In an interview with MS NOW’s Jacob Soboroff, Newsom stated, “It’s hurricane force bullishness and it originated from Trump’s weaponized lies,” adding that the disinformation was further amplified by Elon Musk. This interview was posted on YouTube on Monday.
Newsom’s comments stemmed from a question about an X livestream, where Musk had inquired if the Palisades had run out of water while Malibu was facing a water issue.
Musk asked the fire command if it were true that “there was no water shortage in Malibu along the coast.” He wondered about reports of a water shortage in the Palisades, questioning, “Or is that not accurate?”
Officials responded, noting, “We were using more water than the system could manage… The pressure was excessive given the amount of water needed by firefighters.”
Musk concluded the stream shortly after.
At that time, Newsom shared a conversation on X, where Musk expressed feeling “exposed by firefighters.”
During the wildfires, Trump and Musk, alongside their supporters, regularly criticized California’s leadership, especially Newsom, for their crisis management.
For instance, Musk tweeted that while climate change risks are real, they are often overstated. He pointed out that the primary reasons for the significant housing losses in LA included “overregulation” and poor governance, which led to water shortages.
Trump, who was the president-elect at the time, claimed on Truth Social that the water shortage was largely due to Newsom’s failure to sign a Water Recovery Proclamation. This proclamation would have allowed millions of gallons of excess rainwater and snowmelt to flow into various parts of California daily, including regions currently experiencing severe fires.
In response to Trump’s statements, Newsom’s office labeled these claims as “entirely fictional.” Newsom reflected on the troubling reality of having a president who spreads misinformation during periods of disaster, emphasizing that many people are swallowing these claims without question.
When asked for a comment, the White House released a statement stating, “President Trump’s historic leadership after the Los Angeles wildfires resulted in the fastest and most dangerous debris removal effort in history, which played a critical role in helping communities recover from the tragedy.” They added that while Trump expedited processes, the lack of preparedness from Newsom and others made the disaster more severe. They criticized Newsom for failing to adequately prepare by draining the Santa Ynez Reservoir and accessing necessary pumps and aqueducts, stating that despite Trump’s efforts, bureaucratic delays hindered the recovery.
