In a portion of an interview that aired Wednesday on Fox News Channel's “Hannity,” President Donald Trump said California should not receive disaster relief funding until the state's water policy changes. insisted.
host Sean Hannity asked. [relevant exchange begins around 5:30] “Would you please donate? Obviously, Americans want to help other Americans in need, right? Of course we will. Should we make it a condition that we practice this?”
Trump responded, “I don't think we should give anything to California until we get water flowing to California.”
Then Hannity interjected and said, “From North to South.”
President Trump added: “This is a political thing. I don't know what it is. They're talking about Delta smelt, and they're saying this is a small fish like this, and it's an endangered species. Now, how are they endangered? No wonder they're endangered because they don't have water.”
President Trump also said that Delta smelt are not actually endangered, that fish protection is not the actual basis of California's water policy, and that Los Angeles needs billions of dollars in the wake of the fires. He said it would be.
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