As wildfires devastate Los Angeles County, a resurfaced clip of Donald Trump on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast criticizing California’s fire and water policies has gone viral.
In the three-month-old interview, Trump slammed the state’s failure to build water reservoirs and manage forests, claiming these actions are vital to preventing catastrophic wildfires. “They said, ‘We have no water.’ I asked, ‘Do you have a drought?’ They said, ‘No, but the water is diverted to protect a tiny fish.’ Millions of gallons flow into the Pacific,” Trump said, referencing the delta smelt.
Trump criticized California’s environmental regulations for prioritizing the fish over people’s needs, highlighting that poor forest maintenance, such as neglecting to clear deadfall, leaves forests dangerously dry. He argued such simple measures could save billions in fire damage annually as wildfires continue to wreak havoc.
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This week, Trump took to his Truth Social platform and railed at Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom over his administration’s handling of California’s water crisis
Donald Trump criticized Governor Gavin Newsom for refusing to sign a water restoration declaration that could have redirected millions of gallons of water from excess rain and snowmelt to fire-stricken areas. Trump accused Newsom of prioritizing the delta smelt, a “worthless fish,” over the safety of Californians, calling the decision catastrophic.
Criticism of California’s leadership extended to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as wildfires worsened. Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar joined the backlash, posting on Instagram about gridlock and the lack of traffic management during the Palisades Fire evacuation. “City of LA, you want everyone to evacuate, yet there’s complete gridlock and not one traffic cop helping,” she wrote, tagging official city accounts and Mayor Bass.
