Trump threatens to cut off California wildfire aid if Newsom doesn’t change water policy

Former President Trump threatened to withhold federal aid to battle California wildfires, should he be reelected, if Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) does not change a policy that protects an endangered species of fish.

Trump said during a roughly hourlong press conference Friday at his Los Angeles area golf club that if elected, he would give California “more water than almost anybody has,” allowing farmers to have full use of their land. 

The amount of water that can be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is limited under federal and state regulations to protect a fish called the smelt, which has been considered endangered for more than a decade.

Smelt do not live long, but losing them could have ripple effects on the broader ecosystem. 

Trump said the water coming into the state is “dead” and called on Newsom, whom he referred to as “Newscum,” to make changes.

“And Gavin Newscum is gonna sign those papers, and if he doesn’t sign those papers, we won’t give him money to put all his fires,” he said.

“And if we don’t give him money to put out his fires, he’s got problems,” Trump continued. “He’s a lousy governor.” 

Trump made the remarks as part of broader critiques of the state and its leaders, along with Vice President Harris, for a litany of issues, including the economy and the number of immigrants entering the state. He sought to tie the issues now facing the state to Harris, who previously served as district attorney of San Francisco, attorney general of California and a U.S. senator for the state. 

Trump argued that his plan would avoid the need for desalinization plants. 

“So California, vote for Trump, and you’re going to have water and you’re going to have growth and you’re going to have prosperity and all those people that are leaving are going to really come back,” he said.

Updated 4:55 p.m.