Newsom responds to those angry over wildfire response by pointing finger at local leaders, Trump
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., appeared to deflect when he was confronted about Los Angeles residents being angry over his wildfire response, saying local leaders and people on his own team weren’t giving him a clear picture of the devastation.
In an interview with liberal podcast, "Pod Save America," released on Saturday, the governor said he has struggled to get "straight answers" about went wrong with the wildfire response from lower-level leaders, suggesting that it has hampered his response.
"So, I’m the governor of California and wanna know the answer. I’ve got that question, I can’t tell you, by how many people, ‘What happened?’ – on my own team, ‘What happened?’… I’ll be candid with you, I wasn’t getting straight answers," Newsom told co-host Jon Favreau, referencing his conversations with local leaders.
Favreau mentioned how one of his "best friends" who lost his home in The Palisades suggested that Newsom is "just trying to pass the blame" for the crisis. He added that many residents are "so angry" about the state’s response to the devastating blaze and asked him to respond as the man who is "ultimately responsible" for the state.
Newsom admitted he wasn’t fully clued in to why the response was lagging and appeared to pass the buck to other leaders.
"We had my team start talking to local leaders, saying, ‘What’s going on?’" Newsom began.
"And you weren’t getting straight answers from the local leaders?" Favreau cut in. "I was getting different answers," Newsom affirmed, adding, "and so, for me, that’s not a – when you start getting different answers, then I’m not getting the actual story."
Newsom added that he has been giving these leaders "a little bit of grace," as he understands they’re "assessing" the "emergency environment."
He noted that tempers are flaring up over the wildfire response because "no one has any patience anymore."
The governor then pointed a finger at President-elect Donald Trump, who he has been feuding with after Trump accused Newsom of mishandling the wildfire response.
Trump on Wednesday slammed Newsom for not doing "a good job" throughout the crisis. He added, "It's very sad because I've been trying to get Gavin Newsom to allow water to come - you'd have tremendous water up there, they send it out from the Pacific - because they're trying to protect a tiny little fish. For the sake of a smelt, they have no water… It's a mistake of the governor, and you could say, the administration."
Newsom’s press office responded to the comments on X, stating, "LADWP said that because of the high water demand, pump stations at lower elevations did not have enough pressure refill tanks at higher elevations, and the ongoing fire hampered the ability of crews to access the pumps."
It added, "Broadly speaking, there is no water shortage in Southern California right now, despite Trump's claims that he would open some imaginary spigot."
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During the podcast interview, Newsom again slammed Trump for the claims, stating the president is spreading misinformation.
"It’s words. It’s a salad. It’s the form and substance of fog. It’s made up. It’s delusional and it’s a consistent mantra from Trump going back years and years and years, and it’s reinforced over and over and over within the right wing."
The governor added that Trump has managed to bring this alleged affinity for misinformation "into this crisis in a profoundly demeaning and damaging way."
Trump transition team spokesperson Steven Cheung replied to Newsom's accusation, telling Fox News Digital, "Instead of appearing on liberal podcasts, maybe Newscum [sic] should be doing his f---ing job and actually help people who continue to suffer under his terrible leadership."