Newsom, Trump exchange fiery barbs as wildfires ravage Los Angeles

Gov. Gavin Newsom is firing back at President-elect Donald Trump for comments he made Wednesday about responding to the deadly wildfires currently devastating Southern California.

Trump spoke to reporters after attending meetings Wednesday on Capitol Hill and accused Newsom of not “[doing] a good job,” but noted that they “worked well together” and would do so again when he takes office later this month.

“It's very sad because I tried to convince Gavin Newsom to allow the water to come – you would have an awful lot of water up there, they're sending it from the Pacific – because they're trying to protect a “very little fish,” Trump said. “For the sake of the smelt, they don’t have water…It’s a mistake by the governor, and you could say, the administration.”

Newsom's press office released a statement on social media following Trump's remarks saying there was a reason for not using the pumps.

PALISADES FIRE: HEIDI MONTAG, SPENCER PRATT LOSE HOUSE; CELEBRITIES FLEE THE RITZY DISTRICT

California Governor Gavin Newsom and President-elect Trump have clashed over various issues, including the California wildfires. (Getty/AP)

“LADWP said that due to high water demand, pumping stations at lower elevations did not have enough pressure fill tanks at higher elevations, and the ongoing fire was hampering capacity crews to access the pumps,” Newsom’s press office wrote on X.

His office added that the city was using water dispensers to provide water, which is a common tactic in fighting wildfires.

Newsom's office also rejected claims that there is a water shortage.

MALIBU, CA – JANUARY 08: Firefighters continue to battle wind and fire as homes ignite in Malibu along Pacific Coast Highway near Carbon Canyon Road in the Palisades Fire on Wednesday January 8, 2025. (David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

“Generally speaking, there is no water shortage in Southern California at this time, despite Trump's claims that he is turning on an imaginary faucet,” Newsom's office said .

The bureau has released a number of quotes from California officials saying water reliability and supplies are stable.

One of the comments stated that there was enough water to supply 40 million people for a year.

PACIFIC PALISADES INFERNO FORCES THOUSANDS TO FLEE CALIFORNIA HOUSES; GOVERNMENT NEWSOM DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY

Earlier in the afternoon, Trump accused Newsom of refusing to sign a water restoration declaration and criticized him for low-fire containment.

“Let this serve and be emblematic of the blatant incompetence and mismanagement of the Biden/Newscum duo. January 20 cannot come soon enough!” Trump wrote at Truth Social.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) fired back at President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday over accusations he mishandled California's wildfires. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Newsom's office said there was no water restoration declaration.

They also noted that water supply and transportation are unrelated.

“Trump is confusing two completely unrelated things: getting water to Southern California and getting it from local storage,” according to the post. “And again, there is no such document as the water restoration declaration – it is pure fiction.”

Still, Trump wasn't done with his criticism of Newsom.

In a scathing late-night article on Truth Social, Trump said the wildfires were “all his fault!!!” »

Trump also called on Newsom to resign.

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“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is completely destroyed by fire,” Trump wrote. “This is ash, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”

In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper earlier Wednesday, Newsom was asked generally about Trump blaming him for the wildfire disaster.

“It can't even be answered. I mean…you know, people are literally fleeing. People have lost their lives. Children have lost their schools. Families completely torn apart. Churches have burned down,” Newsom told Cooper. “This guy wanted to politicize the issue. I have a lot of thoughts and I know what I want to say – I won't.”

Newsom then praised President Biden, saying he “doesn't play politics.”

Biden visited a Los Angeles fire station alongside Newsom on Wednesday for a briefing from authorities on the raging wildfires.

THE California wildfiresThe fires that broke out on Tuesday afternoon have already forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes. Fires in the Los Angeles area threaten at least 28,000 structures. At least five people were killed.

Newsom declared a state of emergency On Tuesday, after the Palisades fire, it reached an unmanageable level.