Tipsheet

Trump Is Out With Another Reminder on California Fires

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  January 08, 2025 6:15 PM

Earlier on Wednesday, as we covered, President-elect Donald Trump was out with a post placing the blame for California's devastating wildfires on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. The post highlighted some previous issues to do with Newsom, but Trump was also out not long after with still another reminder, this time about what's awaiting him during his second term, to begin in just under two weeks. 

This time, such a post was much more brief and to the point. It was also in all caps for the entirety, as Trump posted about "NO WATER IN THE FIRE HYDRANTS, NO MONEY IN FEMA. THIS IS WHAT JOE BIDEN IS LEAVING ME. THANKS JOE!" 

Like the earlier post, this one is also a trending topic over X.

Trump's earlier post also expressed concerns about a lack of water in the fire hydrant, a problem which Leah covered earlier on Wednesday, with the water supply having "just dropped." 

This time, Trump also expressed concerns about Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding, no doubt especially after the disastrous response from the federal government last September and October over Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Residents in North Carolina are still suffering.

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Not long after Hurricane Helene, Madeline reported how Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said there was not enough money for disaster relief. The Biden-Harris administration had reportedly spent money on programs for illegal immigrants.

FEMA Director Deanne Criswell, who was criticized for her agency's handling of the recent hurricanes and hauled before Congressional committees to answer for such failures, posted to X on Wednesday that FEMA "authorized assistance to support firefighting efforts & will continue to stay in contact with the state."

Her post has been met with dozens of replies from users reminding her of her agency's failures, including when it comes to FEMA team members being told to avoid houses with Trump signs on their front laws. 

Fox News' Chad Pergram posted remarks from Criswell to his X account, and also highlighted how funding for FEMA could be tricky as Trump and Congressional Republicans look to cut spending.

Something Criswell and Newsom, who also posted about funding, failed to mention over social media, is that FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) was "bled dry" and Congress had to approve funds to "reload the DRF." While Pergram pointed out that "FEMA should be good for now," it's only because "Congress got that money in under the wire."

"But, this could mean FEMA may need ANOTHER INFUSION when government funding expires in March. And there could be a demand for another massive swath of aid to help those rebuild after the fires. That is separate from the DRF. That could be a challenge for Congressional Republicans and President-elect Trump – as they are trying to cut spending," Pergram also explained. 

While Newsom acted in a particularly petty manner when he and Trump were at odds during the former and future president's first term, even saying the then president was "excused from the conversation" over his views on climate change, he has thanked and tagged President Joe Biden. As Trump aptly criticized Biden over, the current president has left him with a messy situation in many areas as he returns to the White House. 

Especially in these last remaining days of his presidency, the narrative has been more out in the open that Biden is almost certainly not even the one in charge anymore, and hasn't been for some time, especially as the failures of his mental faculties have been increasingly on display.

Newsom, Criswell, and FEMA have also been reposting one another from their X accounts.