On Wednesday morning, President-elect Trump weighed in on the fires raging through Los Angeles County, blaming California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) for the disaster. Later during Inside Politics, CNN’s Nia-Malika Henderson accused Trump of having “no sense that Californians are Americans” and lacking empathy because of his feuds with “Democrat[s] in general.”
Host Dana Bash first turned to NPR’s Tamara Keith to get to the bottom of Trump’s accusation. However, the reporter offered a weak excuse in response, stating that “trying to explain water politics in California is almost impossible.”
Keith further claimed the “larger issue” was a future president “seemingly trying to start a feud with the governor of a state in the middle of a crisis,” which she boiled down to Santa Ana winds and “it hasn't rained. It's been very dry in California.”
Incoming Puck reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell drew a little closer to an explanation on water control in California and the southwest, but drew back and settled on postulating about what would have been an appropriate response from Trump: “Usually what happens, as we all know, when there is a national and natural disaster, is that you reach out to the leaders of the state, you offer them public support and assistance, you say good things about them.”
Caldwell then pointed to reports that alleged Trump “would ask his team how many people supported him in that state and what else they could do for him in order to receive federal funds and federal assistance,” but, naturally, also failed to shed any light on an explanation for the president-elect’s post.
In a thread on X, longtime California resident Joel Pollak of Breitbart discussed a variety of factors tied into the disastrous fires, including poor forest and water management, a shortage of emergency response due to law enforcement and budget cuts*, and fire insurance rates capped by “Democrats us[ing] socialist price controls.”
A brief, factual thread about the POLICY issues around the Palisades fire. I will stick to what I know personally. I am covering for @BreitbartNews and available to help @FoxNews, @MSNBC, or anyone needing information and ideas, including the incoming Trump administration. (1/9)
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) January 8, 2025
*Law enforcement budgets had been cut in 2020 in response to the BLM riots and Governor Newsom proposed a $185 million cut in 2024. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass cut the Fire Department budget by over $17 million.
Evidently, none of these factors mattered to the CNN panel or occurred to them. In any case, Henderson decided it was “sad that this is the same president we're getting again” and absurdly declared that with Trump’s re-election, “there are no lessons learned, there's no sense that Californians are Americans.”
According to her interpretation of the matter, Trump “doesn't have any sort of empathy and understanding about, you know, over what these folks are going through.” It was strange that Henderson was so caught up in deciding for the president-elect what he felt about Californians, since she made no mention of the fact that Mayor Bass was absent on a trip to Ghana for no apparent reason.
Yet, the left isn’t often too keen on implicating one of their own. Instead, they would have their viewers distracted from the real problems that led to the disaster in California, diverting their attention with petty discussions and incomplete information.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Inside Politics with Dana Bash
1/8/2025
12:28:52 PM EST
DANA BASH: Donald Trump is now weighing in on the horrific fires in Los Angeles County and he's laying the blame on California's Democratic governor. He said on Truth Social, quote, “Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water from excess rain and snowmelt from the North to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in virtually apocalyptic way,” and saying, quote, “He is the blame for this.”
I want to bring in an exceptional group of reporters here. Tamara Keith of NPR, Leigh Ann Caldwell of the Washington Post, and Nia-Malika Henderson of Bloomberg, and of course, CNN. What a day. Um, I want to start with you, Tamara, because you cover the White House, the outgoing and the–and the incoming, obviously. And it's not–there's no surprise here that Donald Trump's response to–to these fires, which are still very out of control, is to blame the Democratic governor.
We saw when he was in office the first time around, there were–when there were fires, he blamed him for different aspects and–or the other governor for different aspects, including not raking the–the, um–the forests and so forth. Can you just kind of, knowing a little bit about this, put into context–never mind the sort of–the politics and the questions of the timing of it–but the substance of his accusation?
TAMARA KEITH: Yeah. So what he's talking about is an endangered fish that is at the center of a very long water war in California, about how much water can flow out of the delta in northern California and go to southern California. It–like, trying to explain water politics in California…
BASH: Yeah.
KEITH: …is almost impossible. It goes back generations…
BASH: Sure.
KEITH: …and this tiny smelt is part of it. Uh, I think that the larger issue here is that the future president is seemingly trying to start a feud with the governor of a state in the middle of a crisis, uh, a crisis that is being driven by Santa Ana winds and…
BASH: And the fact that it hasn't rained.
KEITH: And it hasn't rained. It's been very dry in California. Um, the–this is a dynamic that has existed in this state for ever. Um, and, it's why, um, you know, it is a beautiful state and it is also a state of tragedy, repeatedly. I should say I grew up there, too.
LEIGH ANN CALDWELL: So, getting to the water component, absolutely. It's not just a California thing, it's an entire southwest thing.
BASH: We have a California girl here. We have a Nevada…native.
CALDWELL: Um, so, um, yes, there are absolutely politics involved in–in water control and how this water is used in California and elsewhere in the States that are–are thirsty, are very thirsty. But usually what happens, as we all know, when there is a national and natural disaster, is that you reach out to the leaders of the state, you offer them public support and assistance, you say good things about them. Now is usually not the time for politics.
But as we all know, we have lived through this once. That is not usually how Donald Trump operates. There had been reporting, even recent reporting, that said that, um, during past natural disasters, when Donald Trump was in office, that he would ask his team how many people supported him in that state and what else they could do for him in order to receive federal funds and federal assistance, so.
BASH: And–and I just want to say, I did reach out to Governor Newsom's office to see if he wants to respond. It would not be surprising if he didn't. He has a huge crisis on his hands. He was at a press conference last night talking about the gratitude he has from President Biden, still the current president, who has offered federal assistance as much as he needs.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON: Yeah, and the question is, you know, on the campaign trail, I think it was in October of 2024, Donald Trump was saying that if he got elected–reelected, that he could withhold federal funds from California. Obviously, he has a sort of a feud with Gavin Newsom, a feud with almost every Democrat governor, and senator, and Democrat in general.
And I think the question going forward is, could that happen? Is this something he's going to actually do when he assumes office? Because he does kind of see the federal government, and the budget, and the monies as his own, as to dole out as he wishes to his friends. And so I think that's the real question going forward. But it is sort of sad that this is the same president we're getting again, that there are no lessons learned, there's no sense that Californians are Americans, right, that they are struggling in these areas.
Two people have lost their lives. These fires haven't been contained at all. It looks like they're probably going to get worse before they get better, and that he doesn't have any sort of empathy and understanding about, you know, over what these folks are going through. People have families there, not only, you know, you might have families still there. I have family there and friends as well. So it's just–it's just sad and still shocking.
BASH: Literally as you're speaking, we're looking at our live pictures of neighborhoods in L.A. County, burning. I mean, the roof there is–is literally on fire. And as we heard from local officials, L.A. Officials, in the last hour, they just can't contain it. You can see the wind there. You can see how aggressive the wind there. I mean, just talking to people–you've probably been talking to your family there. Um, it's–the winds are s–the Santa Ana winds are so strong and they're so hot that it's impossible for them to contain now. At this point, it is just about, uh, taking cover and staying as safe as possible and as far away from that as possible.
KEITH: Right. And hoping that the coastal layer blows back in eventually. Um, yeah, certainly in fires like this, they are–they are trying to draw lines, but the lines are being crossed by the fire.
BASH: Alright. Well, I assume we'll hear from President Biden at some point. It is, um, definitely odd timing that he is there as–as he said to Susan Page, our friend, he is awaiting the birth of his first great-grandchild somewhere in that area.
(...)
